Stop Draggin' My Heart Around
by MarsWithMick
Summary: In the year of 1985, Dwayne, one of the Lost Boys, met a girl. A girl that changed everything. A girl who saw life through different eyes. A girl that would prove that love is a real thing, in both friends and romance.
1. Chapter 1

"Who's gonna pick you up when you fall? Who's gonna hang it up when you call? Who's gonna pay attention to your dreams? Who's gonna plug their ears when you scream?" -_Drive_, The Cars

Drive

Things had been going well before she came along. Things were . . . almost perfect, in a strange sort of way, before that brown-haired, blue-eyed girl stepped into Dwayne's life. She'd been the perfect spitting image of a celebrity without all the glam, picture-perfect in all her moments. She'd been one of the loveliest girls Dwayne had ever set eyes upon, even if to others, she was another normal girl with normal clothes and normal behaviors. To others, she'd been one of the single most hopeful (and different) people on the planet. She'd been the girl that could talk her way through anything, but also the girl that was stepped on. She was, and always had been, the girl that never said a word about the people to hurt her most.

They'd all been sitting in the cave, laughing and hollering and talking, with the radio on. Star gazed at David with loving eyes, one hand resting on his chest and another playing with his hair. Leddie was asleep on the bed while Dwayne kept a close eye on him, making sure he wouldn't find himself in any trouble or if he woke up from a nightmare, he'd be okay. He had to make sure Leddie was okay - he always had to. If he didn't, he'd be dishonoring her, and there was no way he would do that willingly.

"Is there ever anything good that comes out of that?" Dwayne turned to listen to Marko speak, wondering what he was talking about.

"No."

"Then why not try it?" Marko grinned then, and Paul returned it. The duo stood up - the two brothers, more likely - and walked out of the cave up the stairs. God knew what those two were possibly going to get into this time.

Dwayne stood up and stretched, figuring that Leddie would be alright for now. He ignored Star and David and focused his gaze on the wall, staring at one of the drawings hung up by himself. He hadn't drawn it, of course - he wasn't the best drawer in the world, and in fact, he couldn't draw a stick figure to save his life. At the most, he could maybe draw a tree. A tree that would be better drawn by a 7 seven year-old than himself. But, despite that, it didn't mean he had an appreciation for the arts. She'd opened his eyes to it, made him realize how important it really was.

Dwayne shook his head and looked away from the portrait - which was of himself and Paul standing next to each other - to the blank wall on the other side of the cave. He watched the flames of the candles flicker against the wall, creating grotesque shadows that otherwise would've been fearful if it wasn't for himself being what he was.

And then, he heard it. That gentle song, the one with soft lyrics that he'd heard her hum so many times before. The song that broke his heart every time he heard it. The same song that stopped him from moving, his eyes still gazing at the wall with intensity.

David and Star heard the song, too, and turned to look at Dwayne to see his reaction.

"Turn it off," he said, refusing to move at all.

He could see her now - the dark blue comb going through her hair, the strands glistening with water under the light of her bedroom. Her lips moving ever so slightly as she hummed along, applying a little hint of black onto her eyes. Her eyes . . . those blue eyes staring at him with ease, the hope still being found in them after years of suffering. Her fingers running gently through his hair, playing with the ends of them. Her laugh, oh, her laugh as she swayed to the song. Her standing in the window of her room and smiling down at him on the street, the way she would wave down before disappearing in the window. Her laugh, her smile, her eyes -

The song cut through his mind, singing the lyrics and making his grief worsen. How could someone like him be so devastated over one human? How was that possible?

"Turn it off!" he shouted suddenly, making Star jump as she rushed over to the radio and fiddled with one of the knobs. David didn't respond to the situation - if anything, he just stared at Dwayne with these unbelieving cold eyes. He would've never looked at her that way, although he did once upon a time. She'd eventually grown on him, and he'd grown to like her. Then . . . the thing happened.

Dwayne sighed and looked back down at his book, but his interest in it was suddenly lost. He couldn't quit thinking about the song, and he damned the radio for playing it, and Star for not turning it off quick enough.

He tossed the book across the quiet cave and stood up, storming over to the small crook she'd always be in. It wasn't too bad, considering the large size, but to him it was absolute hell. Everything that was hers was still there, untouched by her fingers or his for that matter. But then, he ruined the cycle of coming to the crook and just sitting there - he picked up one of her most prized possessions, a ring with a red diamond on it.

And then, as he stared at the stone, he began to remember all that had happened those two years ago.


	2. Chapter 2

_"It's hard to think about what you've wanted, It's hard to think about what you've lost, This doesn't have to be the big get even, This doesn't have to be anything at all. . ." -Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty_

Stop Draggin' My Heart Around

She had no desire to be on the train - in fact, she would've much rather been curled up under the blankets or drawing something in her sketchbook. She didn't want to leave her mother, but that wasn't what she was anymore. She was now a convict at the state penitentiary on death row for the kidnapping of Arabella Rowan Caligor. AKA, herself.

But that wasn't her name - no, it couldn't possibly be that. She grew up knowing her own name, which was Rosalie Joelle Corello. She refused to believe that her real name, that . . . whatever that was . . . was what she was going to be called for now on. She couldn't believe she had family living across the country in Santa Carla - a mother, a father, and apparently, two brothers. One was younger, the other was older. Really, she did not look forward to trying to fit in with this family.

_Relax,_ she thought to herself. _You're almost seventeen. Two months, you know? You can do as you please in fourteen months, I'm sure you'll survive._

Hell, even she didn't believe the lie. How could she? She was leaving her true mom behind to stay locked up behind bars. Her mother, with her short blonde hair and her blue eyes . . . her mother that never treated her like she didn't matter . . . the same one that promised to always listen no matter what.

Rosalie shook her head and turned her gaze back out of the window to stare at the sunlight outside. As much as she hated being outside, she liked the light. She didn't mind the warmth it brought her skin, nor the rays it would cast down to celebrate the world's beauty. She loved the sun, but she also loved the moon. The moon reminded her of the nights she'd spend on the roof of her and her mother's apartment building, just gazing at the stars and wondering how her life was going to turn out one day. Sometimes, she still caught herself doing that.

She glanced over at the woman next to her, watching as she pointed out trees, bushes, and landscapes to her little daughter with a smile. Rosalie wondered if she'd ever have that - a child to be proud of. Only, she hoped that she could be a mother and wouldn't have to kidnap a child to be one. But, she guessed, desperate times call for desperate measures.

Rosalie shook her head and looked down at her little cassette player, her fingernails tapping lightly against the plastic surface. She silently gazed at the cassette cover of her favorite album, which was Stevie Nicks's _Bella Donna_. There were good songs on that album, and although Stevie Nicks wasn't Rosalie's favorite musician, Stevie's album was her favorite. Her favorite musical artist, though, was David Bowie. He was the one to open her eyes to differences in everyone, the one to make her feel not so alone and estranged. She loved that strange man.

Rosalie looked up as the train rattled a little, hitting a few bumps as if finally came to a stop at it's destination - Santa Carla.

She sighed and stood up, stretching and popping her back with a yawn. She hadn't moved the entire ride, and damn, it felt good to actually move for reached above her seat to the rack above and grabbed her two suitcases, pulling both behind her as she stepped off of the train for the first time.

Santa Carla was warm and sunny, something Rosalie had expected - there were girls dressed in shorts, some in David Lee Roth tights, and others in sundresses - either skimpy or modest, none were really in-between. The men were either really young or really old, and the occasional male was middle-aged with either a woman on his arm or a child holding his hand. They wore shorts, too, but they varied with the ages. Some boys wore rock shirts that Rosalie wanted to add to her collection, and others wore Hawaiian shirts that made her cringe. Some even wore sandals from what she could see of them.

Rosalie pulled out a notecard from her bag and scanned it, then looked up to scan the faces again - businesswoman, child, punk, drug-dealer, mom . . .

But no woman who looked remotely close to Ms. Ruby MacQuire. Ms. MacQuire was supposed to be dressed formally, with her hair in tiny curls and tall, the blouse under her charcoal jacket a light blue. But so far, no one had matched the description on Rosalie's little notecard.

"Arabella?" Rosalie turned to see the woman she'd been searching for coming up from behind her with a large, welcoming smile. She carried a briefcase under one arm, a poster with her Rosalie's real name under the other. She stopped in front of Rosalie with her hands on her hips, looking over the tall curvy girl in front of her. "Well, I must say that you stick out like a sore thumb, but in the best of ways!"

It was true - while everyone was dressed in something to cool their skin, Rosalie wore clothes for a different climate. Torn flare jeans, black converse, and a long-sleeved Queen shirt with a jean vest over it. Her hair was done in curls and teased up, and she had her eyes lined with black and covered in white eyeshadow. She looked out of place with all the pop-inspired teenage girls fluttering around her, looking for family and friends coming off of the train.

"Yeah . . . I guess so," Rosalie finally replied after clearing her throat quietly. "I'm not fond of Santa Carla. Or California, in general. All I really want to do is go home."

Ms. MacQuire sighed and pursed her lips, then took one of Rosalie's suitcases to pull behind herself.

"You and I both know that won't happen, sweetheart. I was assigned to you to make your life better, and that's what I plan on doing. And I can assure you, Arabella-"

"I prefer Rosalie, if you don't mind."

". . . Rosalie." She tried out the name, but from the furrowing of her eyebrows she didn't necessarily like it. "I can assure you, _Rosalie_, that going back there will only cause more problems?"

_How so?_ Rosalie thought angrily. _How does taking me away from my true mother help? How does putting me with strangers help? Seriously, woman, you are beautiful and kind, but have no common sense, I swear._

But Rosalie wasn't in the mood to argue.

"I guess you're right," she said, dragging her suitcase along and taking in her surroundings.

Ms. MacQuire smiled. "You're definitely one of my easier cases, and I appreciate that, Ara-Rosalie."

"Thanks . . . I guess."

She led Rosalie over to a car and helped her throw both suitcases into the back, along with the other two bags she'd brought along. When she closed the trunk after throwing in her briefcase, she turned. Ms. MacQuire put one hand on the surface of the trunk's cover, the other on her hip.

"Well, sweetheart . . . I think we should go see your family."

And so, Rosalie got into the car with her social worker to go meet the complete strangers she was to call family from now on.


	3. Chapter 3

_"It's not easy puttin' on a smile, You're alone, lost and found, She waits at home just to love him Through the night thinkin', 'He's been gone so long now, __Is he coming home?'" -Motley Crue _

Merry-Go-Round

The car ride was fairly short, yet fairly warm - the mid-afternoon sun shone bright against Ms. MacQuire's shiny red car hood and reflected the light straight into Rosalie's eyes, making her cringe and wish she'd brought a pair of sunglasses with her today.

_Note to self_, she thought with both anticipation and haste, _Buy sunglasses. Soon._

"I think you'll really like it out here during the day," Ms. MacQuire said, smiling good-naturedly while her hands moved swiftly along the steering wheel.

"What about the night?" Rosalie asked, glancing over from her gaze on the paved road. To her surprise, Ms. MacQuire's smile vanished and a frown replaced it on her lips.

"I believe it's better to stay in during the night. Dangerous things go on, specifically on the boardwalk. I'd recommend not going there during the night. Daytime: okay. Nighttime: no."

_Why not? Does this lady really think I'm just going to not go on the boardwalk because she's a little scared of the night?_ Rosalie thought with a little spite. _God, I hate it when adults try to understand my mind, especially lately. And really, I wouldn't have this issue if I was still at home with mom._

"What if I want to go to the boardwalk, though? Why's it dangerous?" Rosalie asked despite her mind telling her not to say anything.

"Well . . . Predators."

"_Predators?_"

"Yes, predators. They linger on the boardwalk."

"But-" I stopped when we passed a welcome sign leading into Santa Carla with little audible words lingering at the bottom of the sign.

**Murder Capital of the World**, the words read. Rosalie furrowed her eyebrows and turned as they passed the sign, but there was nothing, no writing whatsoever, painted on the back of the board.

"Is this really the murder capital of the world?" Rosalie asked. She was surprised Ms. MacQuire didn't slam on the breaks, and that was only because her eyes went wide and her lips went flat.

"We're almost to your home," she said, replacing the subject with a new one, a subject Rosalie was far from interested in.

"What're they like?" Ms. MacQuire's smile came back to her face and she looked relieved that Rosalie had changed the subject instead of staying bound to the other.

"Oh, they're such nice people! Their sons are both very nice young men. Kevin, the eldest, is in college but he's home for the summer. And Laddie's the sweetest little boy, I really think you two will get along!" Another smile and another glance over at Rosalie. "Amy and I are in the same book club, too. We usually have barbeques together, me, my two children, and her family."

Rosalie internally groaned - she was going to be in one of _those_ families. The family that attended church every Sunday. The family that went out to diners every Saturday night for dinner, the family that had the perfect father, perfect mother, and perfect child. Yeah, _that_ family.

"They sound . . . okay," Rosalie replied, looking out the window towards the beach they were passing. She'd never seen a beach her whole life, never mind the ocean - she couldn't wait to go down there one of these days. It was the beginning of summer, after all, and she'd have plenty of time to explore.

"I know you must be nervous right now," Ms. MacQuire said, sighing a little on the end as she gave Rosalie a little pat on the shoulder, "But it'll be okay. They'll love you - you _are_ their daughter after all, and they thought you were dead. They finally took down the missing posters from the boardwalk."

_Wow, missing posters just for me._

"Alright." We started passing houses and turned a few times, and when we were three blocks from the boardwalk, she parked the car in a driveway to a fairly large house.

It looked giant against the sky - two stories, large base, tall windows . . . it wasn't a mansion, but yet it wasn't a shack, either. It was humongous compared to the apartment she'd lived in for so long with Carlie. Carlie, the woman who raised her. Carlie, the woman who wasn't afraid to dress like a punk out in public while holding hands with her little daughter, who had to go see the dentist. Carlie, who dyed her hair blue just because she felt like it. Carlie Corello . . . the woman who gave Rosalie the best life she could . . .

A woman stepped down from the porch, wearing a large smile to show her pearly white teeth. She had a dishrag in one hand that she was using to dry her slender fingers, one on the left sporting a diamond on a golden band. Her hair was tossed up into a messy ponytail, the loose curls gently blowing in the soft breeze and tangling little hairs in her face. Each time a hair would land in her eyes, she would brush it aside.

She was wearing a floral print dress that flared out at the waist and remained tight at the top. Rosalie could barely see it over the apron the woman was wearing. She stepped down from the front porch with a smile, her blonde hair catching the sunlight and blue eyes shimmering with what looked like tears.

Rosalie stepped out of the car and looked at the house, an eyebrow raised - _perfect family, huh?_

"Hello, Amy!" Ms. MacQuire said, opening the car door and stepping out. "How've you been?"

"I've been quite well!" she replied, walking over to the pair as Ms. MacQuire gave Rosalie a little pat on the shoulder. The woman turned to look at her. "Well . . . you must be Arabella."

Rosalie decided to let her mother keep the real name . . . for _now_.

"I am," she said, uncomfortable as she shifted her weight from her right foot to the left. "Are you my mom or . . .?"

"Yes." And then, Rosalie went stiff as board. She grew awkward and annoyed at the same time, her arms slowly going to wrap around the crying woman that had her crushed into a hug.

Ms. MacQuire only smiled as if she was proud of what she had done, and Amy stepped back to wipe her eyes.

"Wow . . . the last time I saw you, Bella, you were just this high!" She used her hand to show her the correct height, which was a little over her knee. "Four years old. And then that woman took you away, just like that. I didn't even know her! I assume she was a gypsy."

_Yeah_, Rosalie began to think, her mind going cold and bitter once again, _Assume all you want, Amy. She wasn't a runaway or a gypsy or whatever you want to call her. She was a woman who had gone on vacation to try to escape her mind after learning she'd had a miscarriage. Then she saw me, unattended, and decided that maybe I could replace the whole in her heart. So, bravo, mom. Bravo._

"She's pretty nice, actually," Rosalie said before she could stop herself. Amy's lips pursed and she just shrugged a little, pieces of her hair falling into her eyes.

"Noted. Now, how about you both come inside?" she offered, motioning to the house. "I just made some tea, anyways, and I couldn't possibly drink it all by myself."

"Perfect!" Ms. MacQuire said while clasping her hands, following Amy inside. Rosalie sighed again, glanced at the house, and followed the overly excited women into the house.

The house inside itself was like the outside - large and welcoming. Everything had a place or a spot, and every little piece of furniture or decoration looked carefully planned out against the white walls. Even in the foyer, Rosalie knew that this family was wealthy.

"Have you been reading the news lately?" Amy asked while going into the kitchen. Ms. MacQuire waved Rosalie over to the right, into the sitting room. Both sat down on the loveseat, Rosalie taking in her new surroundings and Ms. MacQuire getting comfortable in her spot by removing her heels and pushing them in front of her.

"Yes, I have! Other than you, superstar -" Rosalie hated the nickname - she didn't want to be reminded that most of the nation knew her name because she'd been kidnapped. She was surprised the news reporters hadn't filmed her miraculous return to her real family. " - but I read about the _New Orlean Saints_ being sold for over 70 million. You'd think baseball players would be cheaper."

"Ah, but you're forgetting it's a national baseball team," Amy said, walking into the living room with a tray. She set it down onto the coffee table in front of Ms. MacQuire and Rosalie.

"Not a very good national baseball team - almost as bad as the _Cubs_!"

"Lucy, that's a strong opinion that most people won't agree with," Amy replied, but from the smile she sent Ms. MacQuire she had agreed.

"People don't need to agree with me on baseball." Ms. MacQuire rolled her eyes and turned to Rosalie with a little smile. "Enough about baseball. Let's talk about you."

Rosalie internally groaned - this was the moment she was absolutely _dreading_.

"What do you want to know?" Rosalie asked. "I assume you've seen the form I had to fill out."

It was true - a police officer made her fill out one of many forms, saying her birthday, gender, and things similar. She would rather get stabbed than fill out yet another form for the police.

"Yes, but it would be more personal to hear it from you, dear."

"Fine." Rosalie sighed, looking at the two women. "I'm Rosalie, but I guess I'm Arabella, too. Two different people. I like Rosalie better, and I'm trying to adjust to Arabella. Truth be said, I'm not too excited to be here. I like colder places, and I like expressing myself however I can. I like drawing. I like music, and I have a few vinyls. That's Rosalie, and I'm not really sure who Arabella is."

There was silence in the room - Ms. MacQuire's attention was turned to the floor, and Amy was just staring straight ahead. Not that Rosalie was too surprised.

Ms. MacQuire was the first to snap out of her trance, but when she smiled it wasn't happy.

"Give me a call if you need anything," she said to Rosalie while handing her a little business card. "I'll always be here to talk."

She lifted her purse from her lap and stood up, stepping back into her heels.

"Thank you, Lucy," Amy said as they shook hands and hugged.

"No problem. Be good, sweetheart." Ms. MacQuire smiled more towards Rosalie and pointed her way before turning and leaving.

_Now this is going to be interesting_, Rosalie thought.


	4. Chapter 4

_"Well you can bump and grind_  
_If it's good for your mind_  
_Well you can twist and shout_  
_Let it all hang out . . ." -T. Rex_

Children Of The Revolution

"Arabella, what's it like out in Chicago?"

"Ara, have you ever seen it snow? I haven't."

"Bella, can you please pass the salt?"

You'd think that after all those questions, Rosalie would've been worn out or would have answered them in detail. But, instead, her interest was peaked and she silently listened to the questions of her 'family', one hand propping up her head and the other using a fork to stir around her mashed potatoes. But, she lightly pushed the little vial of salt towards Laddie anyways after losing interest in the potatoes, sending him a small smile all the while. He was the only one she could truly stand right about now.

Laddie was a small boy, very young - he had long unkempt brown hair - sandy brown, specifically - and these large brown doe-like eyes. His smile was sweet and toothy, and it always held that one little feeling in it. That feeling where, if you were in a heap of trouble and you just so happened to see that smile, you knew someone was there and that you'd be okay.

Kevin, however, was the opposite. He had short curly hair in a fresh hairstyle, one of the kinds that made Rosalie cringe. His eyes were the color of hers, but sharper other than softer, but that was mostly because of his narrowed eyebrows and needlenose. His attire consisted of sunglasses on his head, even at the dinner table, swim shorts, running shoes, and a tank top to show off his bulky arms. He was what Rosalie and some of her old friends used to refer to as "Meat-Heads".

They'd been rare to come by in Illinois, but at the parties she'd seen raging on around the block or at the parties she just so happened to drive-by, she saw people dressed like Californian Surfers. And she didn't really like Californian Surfers.

Her father was a normal, to Rosalie - the type of man whose business suit, polished shoes, and slicked hair told you '_I-have-a-nice-paying-job-as-well-as-a-trophy-wife-who-goes-out-for-smoothies-every-Thursday-along-with-a-son-who-dresses-like-a-Meat-Head-and-one-who-doesn't-understand_'. It was the picture-perfect family.

"Chicago's really dirty and full of snobs. Snow's very beautiful out in Illinois," Rosalie replied, glancing from Kevin to her mother. Kevin just nodded.

"I'm going to live out in Chicago one day. I'm going to play for the_ Chicago Cubs_ one of these days," he replied, shoving a mouthful of food into his mouth.

"I don't really like the _Cubs_," I said, "I'm not a fan of baseball."

He just stared at me for a while like he couldn't believe what had come out of my mouth.

"You don't like baseball? You are _not_ a Caligor."

_I already don't feel like one anyways._

"Kevin!" Amy said, setting down her fork and glaring at him. "Be nice to your sister."

Kevin just rolled his eyes and went back to eating without a care in the world.

"I'm going on the boardwalk tonight with Bradley and Kyle tonight - surfer party on the beach," Kevin said, standing up and taking his plate into the kitchen to put into the sink.

"Kev, you know I don't like the boardwalk. It's dangerous, and I don't want -"

"You say that every time, and I always end up just fine, mom," Kevin replied, shrugging as he turned with his hands behind him on the counter.

". . . Fine."

_Easily manipulated. One pro of this._

"Great."

"But, you're taking Arabella with you."

"Wait, why can't I go?" Laddie asked in his little voice, his lower lip pouting out. "I wanna go!"

"Not tonight, champ," dad responded, looking at the little boy.

"But why?"

"Because, we're going to take you out to get ice cream tonight," Amy responded with a little smile as Laddie's grin grew wide. Rosalie wished Kevin would take Laddie instead - all she really wanted right now was to be alone.

"Really?" he asked, squirming in his chair.

"Later, not now." It didn't seem to break his spirit too much, and Kevin glanced at all of us.

"Okay, I'll take her with me. _Whatever._"

Amy smiled and patted Rosalie's shoulder a little, making her go stiff. She wasn't used to the touch of a stranger. One thing Carlie had taught her - don't let strangers touch you without permission. She'd even taught Rosalie a few defense skills to stop someone from touching her.

"Okay, Arabella, I'm going to show you to your room, let you get settled in a little, and then you and Kevin can go to the boardwalk," Amy said as she stood up to clean the dishes.

"I've got it," Rosalie said as she jumped up and bumped Amy aside to clean the dishes. Any looked genuinely surprised.

"Well, I wish _someone_ was more like you," she said, her eyes directed on Kevin. He just shook his head and left the room. Rosalie just shrugged and started cleaning the dishes, letting them dry on a rack beside the sink whenever she finished. Amy was putting the leftovers into boxes and storing them in the fridge, and the room was quiet except for the little radio on the windowsill playing a T. Rex song quietly throughout the room. From the way Amy scrunched her nose, Rosalie knew she wasn't a fan of classic rock.

"All done?" Was what broke the silence between the two, and that was only when Rosalie had finished her work. She just nodded and Amy led her out of the room, up a set of stairs, and down the long hallway. Her room was at the end of the hallway, making it the room with the most privacy - she liked that.

When the door opened, Rosalie's eyes went wide - the room was twice as big as the one she grew up in, and it had its own bathroom. She glanced around, taking in the dresser, the closet, the bed, the bookcase, the . . . _everything_.

She felt spoiled in that moment, but then felt nothing as she noticed the old curtains. The pink curtains. The pink wallpaper. All the faded pink toddler items that had been boxed.

_You'd think she would've moved all this stuff out and gotten rid of it._

"Is this alright?" Amy asked as Rosalie noticed her suitcases on the bed. "I'll give you some money tonight if you want to find some things to decorate the room with. I know there's a few stores on the boardwalk that sell framed pictures."

"I don't want to take your money," Rosalie said honestly. Amy waved out a hand.

"We have plenty of money. Besides, I'd like to make up for lost time. How about sometime this week I take you shopping for clothes?"

"Well -"

"Great!" Rosalie blew it off - she decided that she'd let Amy have her way. "I know a few great little boutiques I'll take you to. I think you'd look good in a dress and a pair of flats."

"Maybe," Rosalie replied as she went to open her suitcase. "I'm not a dress person, but I'll try it."

Amy sent me a little smile before walking over to the door to my room.

"I'll send Kevin up to get you when he's ready and you are, too. Call if you need anything."

And then she left the room in which I had sparse memories in or with.


	5. Chapter 5

_"So I turned myself to face me, But I've never caught a glimpse of How the others must see the faker, I'm much too fast to take that test . . ."_

_-David Bowie_

Changes

By the time Rosalie had changed her outfit and hung up a few posters to cover up the fading pink wallpaper, it was sunset and Kevin was ready to go. He hadn't changed at all - not a surprise to Rosalie. The only thing different about him was the way his hair was done and the strong scent of cologne that emitted off of him.

"You ready?" he asked as Rosalie shoved her wallet into her purse. She nodded and studied herself in the mirror - Rosalie only hoped she wasn't showing off too much of her body. She was wearing a pair of longer shorts that went about two inches above the knee, a Queen shirt that was cut at the neck and tied loosely at the front, and her favorite pair of converse. Casual.

"How do I look?" Rosalie asked, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Too revealing?"

"Too unrevealing. You should see the girls I hang out with - they're smoking hot."

"More like smoking not," Rosalie said, following Kevin out of the room with her eyebrows furrowed and nose scrunched up. "Not everyone wants to see that, you know."

He only laughed a little.

"You're strange," he said. Rosalie only rolled her eyes - it wasn't a line she'd heard before,_ that_ was for sure.

"Because I like girls to have self-respect?" He didn't answer, and Rosalie smirked a little as she walked down the stairs. Amy was waiting at the bottom and handed Kevin some money for himself.

"Don't spend that on booze," she said, pointing at him accusingly.

"No promises," Kevin replied cheekily. She only rolled her eyes with a small smile before handing Rosalie some money for herself. Rosalie felt her eyes go wide - she'd given her well over 200 dollars.

_This family is loaded_, she thought with a shake of the head.

"I can't take all of this," she said, shaking her head.

"Of course you can."

"I really can't." She'd only seen this much or held this much once, and that was when Carlie gave her one of her mini-monthly-bonuses to buy some toys she'd wanted. And that memory was too much for Rosalie at the moment, especially when she was starting to feel a little homesick.

"Just take it in case of an emergency." Amy pressed the money into her palm and Rosalie was forced to put it in her wallet. She nodded a little and Kevin led the way from the house as Amy called, "Have fun!"

Kevin owned a nice car - nicer than any college student Rosalie had seen owned. She stopped herself from shaking her head as she got into the passenger seat, Kevin in the driver's.

As he drove to the boardwalk, Rosalie made a mental note - never ride with Kevin again. He drove like he was under the influence already, running stop signs and cutting off cars, driving double the speed limit. Rosalie thought it was a miracle they didn't crash or get pulled over.

Usually, it would've taken 15 minutes to get to the boardwalk from the house, but it only took five that first time. Rosalie's knuckles were white from holding the seat as she got out of the car, her legs wobbly.

"We're going down to the beach," Kevin said as he led the way into the boardwalk. Rosalie wasn't paying too much attention - she was looking at all the stores, the people, and the attractions. She had a feeling this place would grow on her, but her suspicions of why it was dangerous still ate at her mind.

"Kev!" someone shouted, waving over the crowd as he ran over. He was dressed in something similar to Kevin - shorts and a tank top, but with sandals. His hair was a little longer than Kevin's and flat, his eyes almond-shaped and dark brown. He looked like the kind of guy Rosalie wouldn't find interest in. "This the pretty little thing you told me about?"

"Yeah, that's Bella," Kevin replied. "Bella, this is John."

John sent Rosalie a smile and held out a hand to shake. Rosalie took it, and the two shook hands.

"Nice to meet you, beautiful," he said in an attempt to win her over.

"Let's get down to the beach," Kevin said after an eye roll. Rosalie followed them through the crowd that was growing in size with each minute. The sun was slowly going down, along with Rosalie's excitement for the beach party, as they walked down a set of stairs onto the beach. There were fires set up in a few places along the shore, people whooping and screaming and drinking and laughing at all of them. Rosalie automatically felt out of place with this group.

"This is our group," John said, pointing over to a large bonfire where a few guys and few girls were partying and listening to music with beer bottles in their hands. "There's me, Kev, Jake, Cindy, Miranda, and Jaye. Just us, and now you."

"Possibly me."

_Not me._

John shrugged and led the way over to the group, an arm slung around Rosalie's shoulders as she tried to move away.

"Guys, check it out! Kev brought his little missing sister along!" John announced loudly as the group looking over.

"Oh, are you the chick that was kidnapped or whatever?" a blonde girl asked before taking a guzzle at her beer.

"Yeah," Rosalie replied bitterly, unappreciative of her carelessness.

"Sounds difficult."

"It is."

_I'm going to knock her on her -_

A beer was put in Rosalie's hands and she was sat down on the beach beside the radio blaring rock music as everyone laughed and talked. By this time the sun had gone down and night had replaced the sky, leaving a darkness over the boardwalk. She noticed some people even leave the beach, and fairly quickly. But not this group.

"So, Rosalie," one of the girls asked with a fake smile, "Where you from?"

"Illinois."

"Really? I think that, like, my uncle's from there."

"Cool."

"Any cute guys there?"

"Farm kids."

"Are they cute?"

"Didn't pay attention." The girl - who Rosalie learned was Jaye - stuck out her bottom lip and furrowed her eyebrows.

"You're no fun." Rosalie shrugged before getting up, the flames dancing across her skin.

"I'm going for a walk, Kevin," she said, tapping him on the shoulder. "Explore."

He didn't even respond - he was too busy chugging down his beer while his friends cheered him on, one of his arms around a thin blonde. Rosalie sighed and trudged up the sand dunes to the boardwalk, looking at all the attractions and shops set up. It reminded her of the mall her and Carlie would always go to. Carlie would -

_Rosalie, stop it._

Rosalie smiled a little before seeing on she knew she would feel at home in and also something that would take her mind off of some things - a vinyl store. She smiled a little and stepped inside, watching as some people walked past with a few records in their hands and some flipping through the different kinds. Rosalie gravitated towards the metal section, smiling as she fingered album after album, lightly brushing the cover with her fingers every once in a while like she'd had a love affair with them at one time in her life.

"Can I help you?" a man asked as he walked up in store shirt with the logo printed on the front. "Anything you need help finding?"

"Oh, I'm fine, but thank you," she replied.

"You're not a regular, are you?" he asked, tilting his head a little. "Usually all of my customers are faces I've seen."

"Oh, I just moved here," Rosalie replied sheepishly, pulling up David Bowie's _Hunky Dory_. "Second favorite album of all time."

"Bowie fan?"

"He's one of my favorite musicians," Rosalie said. "I love his style."

The man nodded in approval as she held out a hand.

"I'm Rosalie."

"Tom. I run this store," he replied, smiling at her. "You seem like a good kid. I hope to see you again in here sometime!"

"Trust me," Rosalie said as she walked up to the register with Tom following a little, "I'll be back."

He only smiled again and Rosalie paid for the vinyl and a little .45 of The Car's _Drive_ before shoving them both into her bag. She walked out of the store and noticed a change in the air - it was almost as if it was tense, almost quiet. Rosalie was confused but brushed it off as she walked down the boardwalk, glancing at everything.

She had been wandering around aimlessly for a few minutes before she decided to go back down to Kevin's group. She instantly heard a song she loved blaring from their area and actually smiled, rushing past four men leaning against the railing beside the stairs that led to the beach.

"Sorry!" she muttered quietly, accidentally running into one of the men and rushing down the stairs, humming the song as she did so. She reached the group and wasn't too surprised to see someone passed out and two others smothering each other, and she didn't care than anyone else paid no attention to one of her favorite songs. Cindy looked up with wandering eyes and watched as Rosalie sat down, mouthing the lyrics as she did so.

"Isn't this the Scorpions?" she asked softly, her head clunking down on the ground. "I like them."

Rosalie was a little surprised to hear that, but smiled and nodded anyways as the song continued.

_Maybe Cindy could be my first friend._

She was only broken away from the lyrics once, and that was when she heard the sounds of motorcycles flying past. She'd glanced up long enough to see the four men from the railing fly past, whooping and hollering as they did so. She watched with widened, excited eyes as she noticed each of the intriguing men go past.

"Who're they?" Rosalie asked in almost a whisper as they went past until they were long gone. Cindy looked up a little, grunting. Either she was drunk or high or just tired.

"Them? I think they're the Looney boys or - wait, The Lost Boys."

"The Lost Boys." Rosalie said it, eyebrows furrowing a little. The name itself had a mysterious vibe, just like those men. And that was the exact vibe Rosalie wanted to feel once again.


	6. Chapter 6

_"We're nothing, and nothing will help us."_

_ -David Bowie_

Heroes

"Where did I put it?" Rosalie muttered to herself, looking around her room and tossing things around. It was the next afternoon and Rosalie was spending the day in her room, reading books and hanging more posters and rearranging everything in her room. She'd gotten to a point where she'd liked to hear music while cleaning and reading and hanging, so she decided to listen to the little .45 she'd bought the night before. The only issue was . . .

It wasn't in her bag. It wasn't in the dresser. It wasn't even in the boxes that laid scattered along the floor.

"C'mon," she said, groaning on the end as she threw a pillow at the head of her bed. "I _just_ got it!"

There was a knock on her bedroom door and Rosalie gave up searching as she answered the door. To her surprise, it wasn't Amy or her father or Laddie or Kevin standing there - it was actually Cindy, who looked a little hungover with her wild hair and reddened eyelids. Her hand was up in a knock.

"Shit, I thought this was the bathroom," she grumbled, trying to pat down her hair. Rosalie remembered the ride home last night - how she had to drive because Kevin had passed out when everyone was leaving. And then she'd seen Cindy passed out on the sand, too, and her heart was in too good of a place to just let Cindy lay there for the whole night.

"Nope, it's my room," Rosalie replied, stepping aside to let her in anyways. Cindy gladly walked in, her shorts riding up her thighs and a strap falling from her shoulder. Rosalie hoped she wasn't angry to find herself asleep in the guest room.

"How did I get here?" she asked. "And why's your room so messy?"

"One, I drove you home because you were passed out on the sand. Two, I'm searching for a little .45 I bought last night." She turned from looking at one of her favorite posters - a Van Halen poster - on the wall. Cindy actually looked genuinely surprised.

"You took me here? Even though you don't know a fucking thing about me?" she asked, smiling a little. "You're golden."

"Thanks," I replied.

"No one's ever done that for me, not even the girls I hang out with," she added on, walking around the room and studying each poster. "I like them; they're okay; I haven't heard them for a few months; you like that band? I would've never guessed . ."

"Well, maybe that means you haven't been hanging out with the right girls," Rosalie replied. "Girls are bitches, not going to lie - they'll smile at you and the second you turn your back, they will stab you in the back with a knife. They'll manipulate you, lead you on, and for what? Their own God damn pleasure. And I can tell that the girls my brother hangs out with are just that type."

"Even me?" Cindy actually looked a little surprised and hurt by the notion. "I only started hanging out with them a few weeks ago, and that's because John is my brother. The fuck left me last night, or went home with one of the girls and forgot me."

_That explains why she seems different from the others_, Rosalie thought.

"I don't think you're to that stage yet. But that one really blonde girl with the fake tan, uh, what's her name -"

"Miranda?"

"Yeah, her."

"Don't get me started on that girl," Cindy said with spite. "She's such a snob. She prances around like she's so much better than everyone, and attaches herself to every guy she sees, and only hangs out with the group because they have booze. I can't stand her, the way she wears too short of skirts and shirts that leave too little to the imagination."

"What about Jaye?"

"Jaye's cool."

"She wanted to know if farm boys were cute," Rosalie said, picking up some of her clothes from the floor. A thought suddenly came to her. "Hey, can you tell me more about The Lost Boys?"

Cindy completely froze before turning around with wide, wild eyes.

"Did I tell you about them last night?" she whispered. "Wait, is that why I remember hearing that rumbling before I completely blanked out? Was it their motorcycles?"

"They drove past on motorcycles, yeah," Rosalie responded. In an instant, Cindy jumped across Rosalie's bed and reached for the phone she had on the dresser. "Wait, what're you doing?"

"Calling someone," Cindy mumbled, dialing in a phone number and holding the receiver up to her ear. They both waited for a few seconds, Cindy twirling the phone's cord in anticipation and Rosalie cleaning up the room, before someone picked up the phone and Cindy began to speak.

"Hey, Allan, it's Cindy - I know, I know, I promised, but John told me to stay - look, I can't help that he's an ass sometimes! Anyways, you know the new girl I told you about? Bella?"

_She still doesn't know my name's Rosalie._

"Yeah, her! She saw those guys last night - hold on, let me ask." Cindy turned her attention to me.

"Hey, were The Lost Boys staring at you last night? At all? Did they see you?"

"I don't know."

"She said she doesn't know. Well, what do you want me to say? Okay, I'll ask. Bella, do you want to go with me to the boardwalk? It'd make talking about this a little easier."

"Sure," Rosalie replied.

"Okay, she said sure. We'll be there in an hour or two. Bye." Cindy hung up the phone and sighed, stretching her arms as she stood.

"Can I ask what that was about?"

"Oh!" Cindy shook her head. "I should've told you who I was talking to in the first place, sorry! Those're the Frog Brothers - they pretty much run the comic store on the boardwalk."

"I see," Rosalie replied, nodding her head twice. "Are they cool?"

"Superstitious. Kind of creepy sometimes. But yeah, I'd say they're cool. By the way . . . do you have, like, a shirt and some shorts I could borrow?" she asked a little shyly.

"Yeah," Rosalie replied with her voice an octave higher. She reached into one of the dressers and pulled out a pair of shorts, then walked across the room to the closet for one of her shirts. She pulled out one and tossed it and the shorts over to Cindy, who caught them and walked into Rosalie's bathroom like it was nothing. Rosalie heaved out a sigh and plopped down on her bed, her mind racing as she stared up at the blank ceiling with all but a Steven Tyler poster staring down at her.

_What could I possibly be getting myself into?_


	7. Chapter 7

"And I wish you all the love in the world,  
But most of all, I wish it from myself." -Fleetwood Mac

Songbird

Cindy moved fast - she was out of the bathroom in less than twenty minutes, hair braided down the length of her arm and pulled to the side. Little whispers still got free from the braid, but they were hardly noticeable unless you were up close and personal with her. She filled out Rosalie's clothes well for a bigger girl.

"Are you done already?" Rosalie asked. Cindy nodded, and Rosalie blinked. "You are the only girl I know who can take a shower, get dressed, and still have time to do her hair in less than twenty minutes."

"Impressive, yes?" she replied with a dazzling smile. She didn't look as bad as she had when she'd first walked into Rosalie's room.

"Yes, very." Rosalie stood up from her bed and looked over Cindy before giving a little nod. Not to her, but to herself. "Are we going to see these Frog brothers or what?"

"Yep. Just one thing, okay? Try not to feel way too creeped out by them. They do mean well, it just gets creepy when they stare you down like you've murdered the mother of their child."

". . . _Oh._"

_This is very reassuring_, Rosalie thought to herself. _Brothers that stare at you like you've just murdered the mother of their child. Great._

"Hey, is it okay if we get food first?" Cindy asked as Rosalie picked up her purse again. "I'm really hungry and I want some pizza."

"Yeah, that's fine," Rosalie replied, nodding as she led the way out of the room. Luckily, she didn't meet Amy telling her to take more money or Kevin in his hungover state, but what she did encounter was just a little sweeter.

"Can I go with you?" Laddie asked, bouncing on his heels as he stood in the doorway of his room. "I promise I'll be good! I promise!"

"Laddie," Rosalie sighed, feeling out of place to tell him that he couldn't go. It's not that she didn't want him to - she just wasn't sure if Cindy would be alright with it.

"Please?" he asked. "I promise I'll be good! Really, really good!"

"Let him go with us," Cindy said, smiling down at Laddie. He smiled right back, and Rosalie sighed in relief to be getting out of the situation.

"Alright, but go tell . . ."

_Mom_, Rosalie thought._ Say mom._

"_Mom._" She said the word hastily, as if she didn't like it. Laddie nodded anyways and bounded down the hallway, speedy-quick. Cindy turned to Rosalie.

"You don't like saying that word," she said as they walked down the stairs. "I can tell."

"You can?" Rosalie asked. They reached the bottom of the stairs and Laddie came running back up to them.

"Mommy told me to give you this," he said, holding out some money. Rosalie sighed - she didn't like receiving all this money. She'd been so used to working for it that she didn't like the idea of having it handed over.

"Alright," she replied anyways, taking the money and shoving it in with the other bills she'd received the night before. "Laddie, when we get to the boardwalk, keep hold of my hand, alright? I don't wanna lose you."

"Okay." Cindy opened the front door and they all stepped out into the bright sunlight.

When they got outside, Cindy covered her eyes before going over to Kevin's car, reaching inside, and fishing out the purse Rosalie had thrown in there when she'd picked up Cindy from the beach.

"Thanks for grabbing this," she said. "I would've been ankle-deep in shit if I couldn't find it."

_Interesting choice of words_, Rosalie thought with a slight laugh, covering Laddie's ears as she did so.

"Oh fuck, I forgot he was there," Cindy said, eyes going a little wider. "Sorry, but still, thanks."

"No problem," Rosalie responded as Cindy pulled out a pair of sunglasses from her purse and shoved them onto her face. She dug around for a while longer as they walked down the street until Cindy pulled out a tube of chap-stick to slather her lips in. Rosalie removed her hands from Laddie's ears.

"It's too friggin' hot out," Cindy moaned, fanning herself. "My skin's going to melt off."

"Ew," Laddie replied quietly.

"It will not," Rosalie said with a slight eye roll.

"Whatever, Bella."

"It's Rose." She'd said the words before she could stop herself, and now all she wanted to do was hit herself upside the head for being so foolish.

"Rose?" Cindy asked with a furrowed brow, Laddie staring at her with his head tilted. Rosalie sighed.

"I know my name's Arabella, but I'm so used to Rosalie that I prefer it more. It reminds me of . . ." She didn't finish - she couldn't.

". . . Of the lady that kidnapped you?" she completed quietly. Rosalie nodded a little. "Well, I can see why it'd be difficult to get over the name. That woman was your mother for a very long time, anyways. As much as I want to call you Bella . . . I'll stick with Rose."

She actually smiled - Cindy made her feel more welcome than ever.

"Can I call you Rosey?" Laddie asked, lifting his hands as if he wanted to be lifted up. "Please?"

Rosalie lifted him up and held him against her side.

"Of course." He smiled wide and Cindy looked around as the houses began to change and the boardwalk came into tiny view. It was still at least six blocks away.

"So, what was it like before?" Cindy asked. "In Chicago, I mean. John told me you were from Chicago."

"Well . . . it was alright. The big city was what a big city's supposed to be - loud, astounding, and broken. The best part about it all was the food. If you wanted a good pizza, that was the place to get it. Or burgers, but the pizza in Chicago is the best. I miss it so much."

The homesick feeling was coming back to Rosalie, and she had to stop herself from crying. Cindy noticed and quickened her pace, causing Rosalie to do so, too.

"I know exactly where we'll eat," Cindy said with a small smile. "I work there."

"Wait, shouldn't you be at work, then?" she replied.

"I took the day off. I told my boss I was going shopping."

"Bosses don't just-"

"My dad, Rosalie. My dad owns the restaurant I work at."

"Oh."

"But anyways . . . I know you'll love it. And Laddie, too." She poked Laddie in the nose, making a big smile erupt on his face. Finally, they reached the entrance of the boardwalk and Rosalie set Laddie down. He took her hand and held it tightly, Cindy leading them through the crowd of people and along the stores.

"Before we see the Frog Brothers, we'll grab something to eat," she said, walking along railing and leading them to the more isolated part of the boardwalk. They passed a few restaurants before they finally stopped in front of one that said 'Billy's Pizzeria'.

"This is the place your dad owns?" Rosalie asked. Cindy nodded and pushed open the door.

A familiar scent wafted through the air, along with the laughter of people at the many tables in the restaurant. Cindy led them to the reserved section, the section where you could only sit by appointment or other affiliations.

"You can't go - oh, Cindy!" A boy around their age smiled next to the greeting booth to the reservations room. "Why aren't you working today?"

"I told bossman I was going shopping," Cindy replied, tugging at her shirt. "You know he can't say no to me. I'm irresistible."

The boy laughed before turning his attention to Rosalie holding Laddie's little hand.

"Who's this?" he asked, sending them both a small smile.

"This is Rose, Kev's sister, and his little brother, Laddie. Rose just got to town yesterday, and I thought that I'd take her shopping and take her to my dad's restaurant, you know, because she is from Chicago." Cindy winked at Rosalie.

"Really?" the boy asked, eyes brightening up. "I've always wanted to go to Chicago! What's it like?"

"It's pretty awesome." Rosalie decided not to dampen the boy's mood.

"Oh, I almost forgot! My name's Marcus, but I go by Marc," he said, extending a hand for him to shake. She took it and shook his hand, both firm and gentle at the same time.

"Nice to meet you," Rose replied with a small smile, Laddie bouncing from one foot to the other impatiently.

"Well, I'd like to chat some more but I should probably show you to your booth and get back to work," Marcus said, moving the red velvet rope over and letting the two girls through. "Rose, I hope you like the pizza!"

Cindy led the way over to a booth covered in red and black leather, then sat down. Rose did so, too, looking around at the black and white photos on the walls.

"What kind of pizza do you like?" Cindy asked, glancing over at Laddie bouncing in the booth. "I personally like sausage and bacon."

"I like bacon on mine, but I'm not too picky about my toppings," Rose replied as a young waitress walked over. "Laddie, stop it."

Laddie instantly stopped jumping on the booth seat and sat quietly.

"I like all meat!" Laddie chirped, smiling at the two girls.

"Cherry Pepsi, Bonnie," Cindy said with a small smile as Bonnie asked the routine question: _What will you have to drink?_

"You can't have any," Bonnie replied jokingly, patting her shoulder. "And you?"

"Cherry Pepsi," Rosalie said shyly, looking down. Bonnie wrote on her notepad.

"Mountain Dew!" Laddie said once Bonnie turned her attention to the little boy.

"I'll be right back." Bonnie walked away, leaving the two girls alone in the booth. Rosalie noticed businessmen sitting around at the tables, talking calmly, and a group of women sitting at the tables. She could've sworn she saw Ms. MacQuire laughing with the women. She didn't bother looking at them again, however, because Bonnie came back over and set their drinks on the table.

"What will you have for today?" she asked, pen ready to write.

"Should we get meat-lovers?" Cindy responded, turning to Rosalie.

'It's up to you and Laddie. I pretty much eat anything." Bonnie smiled Rosalie's way.

"We'll get a medium meat-lovers pizza," Cindy replied. "And Bonnie, don't spit in it."

"Oh, I'll have to restrain myself," Bonnie said. "Oh, and your dad wanted me to tell you he never got a phone call last night from you, saying where you were."

"Oh -" Rosalie already had her hands over Laddie's ears as a string of profanities came out. "Is he in the kitchen?"

"Office," Bonnie said. Cindy nodded and Bonnie walked away. She stood up and sighed.

"I'm sorry, I'll be right back." Cindy quickly scampered away, leaving Rosalie and Laddie in the booth.

"So Laddie, are you excited to go to the comic store and see the Frog Brothers?" Rosalie asked.

"I don't read comics." Laddie said it almost sadly, like he really wanted to but never got around to reading comics.

"What?"

This has got to be the first kid I've met that doesn't read comics, Rosalie thought to herself.

"Mommy doesn't let me read them." He gave a little shrug. "She doesn't think time should be wasted on them."

Rosalie let out a little 'hmph' noise.

"Well, Laddie, I'm going to buy you your first comic. So that way if anyone asks when you know everything about _Captain America_ or _Batman_, you'll be able to say 'Oh, my sister Rosey introduced me to the comic book world!'"

"But what if I get into trouble?"

"You won't. If she asks where you got it or if she finds it, you tell me. I can handle it."

"Thank you," Laddie replied.

_Man, they really don't show the kid mercy when it comes to using manners._

Cindy came back to the booth and sat down with a little sigh.

"Dad wants to meet you," she said, turning to look at Rosalie. "I told him John got me drunk and I passed out, he left me, and you took me to your house. He said he wants to meet you now, so . . ."

"Is he going to join us?" Rosalie asked, trying to smile in a comforting manner. Cindy let out a little groan and held her head in her hands.

"I'm sorry! I tried to convince him not to, but he just wouldn't -"

"Cindy, really, it's okay!" Rosalie replied quickly. "He isn't like my . . . my . . ."

"Parents?" Laddie filled in, taking a drink of his soda.

"Them. Yes. Right?"

"Well, my dad's pretty cool. He's the kind of dad that isn't like other dads, you know? He's pretty interesting."

"Okay." And then a man with short brown hair walked into the area, wearing glasses and a company t-shirt with jeans. He looked like the type of guy who smiled often and yelled only on days when things were not going right. He was, in a sense, the sort of person you could trust.

He walked over to the booth and, with his hands on his hips, smiled.

"Hi," he said, smiling wide and making crinkles appear around his eyes. "You must be Rosalie."

"I am," Rosalie responded, moving over in the booth as the man sat down.

"I'm Cindy's dad, but you can call me Billy." He extended a hand, which Rosalie shook.

"And you already know me," she said, smiling just a little. He leaned back in the booth and stretched his arms across the table a little.

"That I do. Cindy told me about what happened the other night." He glanced over at Cindy, who looked away sheepishly. "And I wanted to thank you in person. For helping her, that is. It's a shame John didn't do anything, but I'm not even surprised. He's not very considerate sometimes."

"A lot of people aren't," Rosalie said carefully, smiling a little sheepishly. "I didn't want to just leave Cindy on the beach."  
"And again, I'm thankful for your kindness."

Rosalie just smiled, unsure what to say next. So instead, she just sat against the booth with a small smile while Laddie grabbed her hand and played with her fingers.

Bonnie came back and set the pizza onto the tabletop, and just looking at it was enough to make Rosalie cry - it was Chicago-Style, her favorite.

"Hey Bossman," Bonnie said, scribbling something on the notepad.

"Bonnie," he replied with that same good-natured smile. She returned it before disappearing back into the kitchen again, and Laddie took the first slice of pizza.

"Well, I'll leave you two girls to it," Billy said, standing up and stretching a little. "Back to work for me. And you, Cinder, you're working tomorrow."

"Got it," Cindy replied, taking her own slice of pizza. Rosalie watched Billy's retreating back, and slowly, she began to think:

_If only everyone in the world was like him. Maybe then, the world would know what happiness is._


	8. Chapter 8

**_"I don't wanna know your name, 'cause you don't look the same, the way you did before . . ." -The Sweet_**

Chapter 8: Fox On The Run

"Okay, so where's this comic store at?" Rosalie asked as she walked down the sidewalk with Cindy on one side, Laddie on the other and holding her hand.

"It's just a little further down the boardwalk," Cindy replied. They walked on in silence, Rosalie glancing at all the people passing her every once in a while and making mental notes in her brain.

_Purple mohawk - nice - guy in a Carrie shirt - must be fun at parties - lady with nose ring - rock it -_

"Here we are!" Cindy stopped and so did Rosalie, Laddie jumping up and down anxiously and trying to break free of Rosalie's grip on his hand.

"Can we go in? Please?" he asked, walking off into the store only to be held back by Rosalie.

"Hold on, Laddie," she said, examining the little shop on the boardwalk.

It was obviously a comic store, judging from the crates of comic books at the front of the store. Further in, however, there were shelves pouring with the booklets, an overhead light dimly lighting them. The counter of the store stretched all along one wall, and posters littered the walls up and down and added to the aura of a comic book store.

Cindy sent Rosalie a small smile and walked into the comic store with Rosalie following. When they were safely inside, she let go of Laddie's hand and he took off like a little rocket heading towards the atmosphere.

When he disappeared among the shelves, Cindy said, "I can't believe the kid's never read a comic book."

"I know, right? Shows how 'good at parenting' my parents are." Rosalie rolled her eyes and huffed. "I really don't like them that much. I guess I'm just not used to them right now, maybe."

"Maybe. Chances are, they're just twinkies and don't really know what they're doing." It was dimmed in the comic book store, but there was enough light to make out faces and covers of comics.

"Froggies!" Cindy called out, walking further into the store and dragging her fingers along some of the comics. "Froggies, come out from your pond and play!"

"Cinder." A boy walked up, and Rosalie took in his appearance. He had long, unkempt brown hair with a red band around his forehead, right above his eyebrows that gave him a narrow expression at all times. He wore a plain green t-shirt and camouflage pants over his combat boots, and really, he looked like a smaller, stranger version of G.I. Joe.

"Don't call me ash," Cindy said, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrow. "I'm not fucking gray."

"Did I say you were?" Cindy went quiet and shook her head. "And also, you know that's what I call you when you call us 'Froggies'. It's a simple fee for a simple name."

"_Whatever_," she said, shoving him lightly but with a smile."I brought Rose with me. Rose, this is Edgar. He's one of the guys I told you about."

Edgar scanned Rosalie over, looking her up and down and taking in her appearance. He had a bit of a skeptic look in his eyes as he met her eyes again, and then gave a slight nod to the left. Another boy, with darker and nicer hair, came out from behind the counter. He was dressed nearly the same, only he wore a t-shirt with a design on it. His eyes were a little darker, even, and Rosalie believed that maybe it was the darker version of Edgar himself. And then she shook the thought away, believing herself to be foolish.

"Oh! Rosalie, this is Alan! He doesn't really talk all that often, so you'll have to talk to him directly or he won't say anything," Cindy said, smiling a little as she took Alan by both of his shoulders and held him as if posing for a picture, her head on his left shoulder. "He's my special wittle Frog."

"Gerroff," Alan muttered, brushing her hand away. Cindy laughed and let him go before jumping up on the comic book store counter, legs crossed as Rosalie leaned beside her. Alan kept his eyes fully trained on Rosalie, making her feel a little uncomfortable.

_This must be what Cindy meant_, she thought to herself.

"So," Edgar said, reaching for a comic book on the store counter, "You saw them last night? The boys on the motorcycles?"

Rosalie nodded, and Edgar continued as Cindy listened intently.

"They usually do that, but not on Tuesdays. Never on Tuesdays . . . I wonder -"

"Why Tuesdays?" Rosalie asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"Not sure. Maybe they're sacred days. Anyways, I wonder if they knew a new girl was coming to town and that's why they just so happened to be on the boardwalk," Edgar said, eyes squinted. "Maybe they wanted to see _you_, Rosalie."

_How would they know me? I was kidnapped when I was young_, Rosalie thought. _There's no possible way that they'd know me._

"They wouldn't know me," she replied simply. "It's nearly impossible - I mean, I was, uh, I was - Laddie, stay in my sight."

Rosalie was thankful for the distraction - Laddie had just begun to wander away out of the store, but when Rosalie called to him he walked right over to her and took her hand.

"This is Laddie, my little brother," Rosalie announced, picking him up and holding him. Edgar nodded, and Alan turned his gaze to the little boy. "He's never read a comic bok before."

"I'll help him find his first one!" Cindy chirped, jumping off of the counter and smiling at Laddie. "Would you like that, Laddie?"

Laddie nodded eagerly, and Rosalie set the squirming boy down as he took Cindy's hand. The two walked down the aisle of the store and disappeared behind one of the shelves. Edgar and Alan both turned to Rosalie, looking at her once again. And then Edgar said something that made Rosalie laugh.

"Vampires."

_What?_ Rosalie said in her mind, smiling and shaking her head as she did so. _Vampires aren't real, boys._

"Why are you laughing?" Alan asked, eyes squinted. "We aren't joking around."

Rosalie ceased her laughter, eyes going a notch wider. "Oh, you aren't joking around."

"No."

". . ._ Oh_."

"Here." Edgar handed Rosalie a comic book, and she looked over the cover, staring at the title and the drawings of vampires. "This can help you. It's on the house."

"I don't really believe-"

"You will." Rosalie sighed and rolled up the magazine, tucking it into her back pocket. "Okay, is there any advice you want to give me before I leave?"

"Stay away from the Lost Boys."

"Stay away from the Lost Boys," Rosalie mumbled, nodding her head. "Got it. Laddie!"

Laddie appeared soon, holding a few comics in his hands. He had a giant smile, and Rosalie took the comics, set them on the counter, and pulled out some money for them. She paid Edgar for them before handing one of the comics to Laddie, watching as he read and walked with Cindy and herself at the same time. They all left the store, walking down the sunny boardwalk past people.

"Do you believe them?" Rosalie asked after a moment of silence as they reached a secluded part of the boardwalk.

"Believe who? The Frog Brothers?" Cindy asked.

"Yeah, do you believe them? Do you believe that the Lost Boys are vampires?"

Cindy looked skeptical, and shrugged.

"If they prove it to be true, then yeah, I guess I do." Rosalie nodded, and the trio continued down the boardwalk, all in their own secluded little worlds.


	9. Chapter 9

**_"The night is young, and ain't no-one gonna know where you, no-one gonna know where you, no-one's gonna know where you've been." -Meat Loaf_**

You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth

It had been a few days since Rosalie last went to the boardwalk; in that time, she'd gotten more into a routine of what usually happened around the house in the summertime.

Usually, it went breakfast, mom and dad left for work, Laddie was taken to a daycare, Kevin went off to Kyle's house, and Rosalie was left alone until dinnertime. She usually ate lunch around the house, or arranged her room some more, or sometimes called Cindy to see what she was up to (when she wasn't at work, of course). But overall, Rosalie's days had taken a turn towards boredom, and she was ready for something new.

Which is why Rosalie decided to lie to her parents, and say she was going to the boardwalk and instead, go find something else to do to cheer her up from the loss of her true mother.

The plan had worked perfectly for Rosalie - use her doe eyes, ask politely, and offer to do things before she went. Rosalie knew anyone would believe she was telling the truth if she did that.

At around suppertime, Mrs. Caligor made a meal that Rosalie loved - roast beef, baked potatoes, and corn. She wasn't sure if Mrs. Caligor knew this or not.

The whole family sat around the table, eating dinner and talking about their days.

"I'm hanging out with Kyle tonight. We're going to the bowling alley," Kevin said, piling a forkful of roast beef into his mouth.

"Well, why don't you take Rosalie with you?" Mrs. Caligor asked, head tilted to the side slightly as if communicating something that Rosalie didn't understand.

"Actually," Rosalie began, initiating her plan, "I was wondering if I could go to the boardwalk tonight. Cindy said she wanted to show me this cool boutique."

"Well . . . I guess that could work," Mrs. Caligor said, nodding a little. "Jack, what do you think about that?"

"I think that's a swell idea," Mr. Caligor responded with a smile.

"Okay, Rosalie, you can go on the boardwalk. Just let me get you some money."

"You've already given me more than enough." Rosalie held up her hands in an attempt to get her point across, and Mrs. Caligor pursed her lips.

"I can never give you enough." Rosalie met her eyes and saw them filled with tears, real tears, ones of sorrow and pain. It made Rosalie have the smallest ounce of pity for her mother. "Excuse me."

Mrs. Caligor walked out of the dining room, leaving a silence to settle over everyone that was seated. Rosalie stared down at her plate and sighed.

_I didn't mean to make her cry . . ._

Rosalie picked up her plate and took it to the kitchen, removing the leftovers and setting it gently in the sink to clean.

"I'll give you some money before you leave." Rosalie jumped slightly and turned around, looking at Mr. Caligor who was standing in the doorway. "I have a feeling your mom won't be out before then."

Rosalie nodded and turned back to cleaning her plate, eyebrows furrowed as she did so. When she was done, Mr. Caligor handed her some money and Rosalie was off on her way to do whatever she pleased.

Getting out of town was the easier part - she simply walked down the street, alone with her thoughts, before reaching the edge of town. But she didn't stop walking there.

_She's so daft, she's trying to buy me over, _Rosalie thought as she walked through a secluded area of woodland_, She just needs to understand that I don't like her, but no, she can't even do that. But . . . I do feel bad for making her cry . . . I didn't mean to do that._

Rosalie hugged her jacket close to her as she walked on, wondering to herself what she was going to do tonight. She thought about everything that had been on her mind, from the whole vampires theory, to her being kidnapped, even as far as Kevin being a meathead surfer-nazi.

She hummed to herself lightly as she reached the last little area of woods, the edge coming into view to be replaced with long grass and shrubs everywhere. The last thing Rosalie saw were the train tracks cutting across the land, the bridge connecting two pieces of land together by pieces of metal.

Rosalie blinked, walking closer to the quiet tracks until she was standing in front of the railing, looking over the edge at the fog below, covering whatever was left below.

_You could do it, you know_, Rosalie thought._ If you didn't want to . . . you know . . . stay with the Caligor's . . ._

"No." Rosalie screamed and jumped back, falling onto the tracks as she heard the deep voice right in her ear. She looked up to see who had spoken, only there was no one there. The deep, calm voice wasn't talking again, and it was as if there wasn't anyone there.

_You're just imagining things again._

"But you aren't." This voice was different, more like a teenage boy's. It came from behind, and Rosalie whipped around to see who owned it. But again, no one was there.

_. . . You're fucking nuts, Rose._

"Rose is a pretty name." A third voice, but more flirty and a little humorous, coming from the right side. No one was there.

_Stop, stop, stop!_

"Bella." This voice was cold and cruel, with a touch of arrogance. Rosalie screamed again, looking all around herself but failing to find any four of the voices around her. She jumped up, legs wobbly, and turned in a full circle, looking for the source of the voice.

"Okay . . . this is creepier than it needs to be," Rosalie said, shaking her head a little as goosebumps rose on her skin.

"It's about time you talked." Rosalie jumped back as a tall blond-haired man jumped down from the train bars above the tracks, landing soundlessly in front of her. He wore a flirty smirk on his lips, and his light eyes held the same look. His hair was teased higher than Rosalie's, and he wore white pants, boots, and a mesh shirt with a jacket over it. His arms were crossed as he looked down at Rosalie, who was a good five inches shorter than him.

"Who are you?" she asked, voice a little shaky. "And how do you know who I am?"

"Don't you remember me?" he asked, head tilted to the side. "Paul? Don't you remember me?"

_Paul . . . Paul . . . where've I heard that name? Where did it come from? Why does it ring a bell?_

"I don't know you," Rosalie said, shaking her head a little. "I feel like I might, but . . . I don't."

Paul sighed and shook his head a little, sighing on the end.

"So you don't remember me."

"No."

"Would you really expect a five year old to remember much from an event that took place years ago?" Another male, this one fairly tall himself with a blond mullet and bright blue eyes, stepped out from the shadows. Rosalie furrowed her eyebrows, taking in his dark appearance with her head tilted to the side - where did she know this guy? How did she just barely know him? How could she even remember someone from twelve years ago? How? _How?_

"Who are you guys?" Rosalie asked, looking from them and then to the train tracks, and back to them one more time. "How do you know who I am? How do you know _me?_"

"So many questions that you want answers to, and yet I won't provide them," the blond with a mullet said.

"You're going to answer them, I don't care what you say." He stared blankly at Rosalie for a few seconds, contemplating how to respond to the girl.

And then . . . he gave a slight laugh. Rosalie furrowed her eyebrows a little, head turned to look at the other blond with him. He didn't look confused, in fact, he looked like he might run soon. And then the next second the man with the mullet had Rosalie pinned against one of the iron pillars of the train tracks. She tried to free her wrists from his grip, but failed which made the man with the mullet laugh once again.

"I wouldn't talk like that to me if I were you," he said, leaning down close to her ear. "I'm not someone you want to piss off."

"Got it," Rosalie squeaked out as the man with the mullet stood straighter, brushing himself off as Rosalie rubbed her wrists. "Who are you guys?"

"I'm David," the man with the mullet said after a pause. "And that's Paul. Marko, Dwayne, get over here."

Rosalie watched as two other boys stepped out of the shadows, their eyes trailed on the girl. One had blond hair similar to David's, but it was more curly and longer. He had big eyes that looked like they could be either kind or mean, and a playful smirk that looked like it would tempt people to either kiss him or fight him. The other looked the darkest to Rosalie - he was the only man with brown hair and brown eyes. He didn't say anything at all to Rosalie, just stared straight through her with emotionless eyes.

"I'm Marko." The man with curly hair sent Rosalie a half-smile, head tilting as he looked her over. "You've certainly changed."

"Yeah, I agree," Paul said, standing over by Marko and crossing his arms. "I certainly don't remember her being this beautiful, huh?"

"Mhm." Rosalie looked down at the train tracks, a blush on her cheeks.

"Still shy, too," Paul added on.

"Okay, how do you guys know me?" Rosalie asked in an attempt to change the subject as well as to figure out why these guys wouldn't leave her be.

"Later," David butt in, his cold blue eyes settling right onto Rosalie's. "We came to make sure you wouldn't find yourself in trouble."

"A pretty little thing like you can't be left alone out in the woods," Paul said, send her a flirty smile. "Someone might come along and get you into trouble."

"I feel like that's what's happening right now," Rosalie said.

_Wait . . . maybe this is the rush I've been waiting for_, she suddenly thought. She paused. _Uh . . . no. This is not a rush. This is a fucking red-alert, Rose!_

She heard a short chuckle and turned, looking at the quiet guy named Dwayne. He averted his eyes elsewhere.

"We don't have plans to hurt you, Rosalie," David replied after a moment of silence. "Our plans are to make sure you don't find yourself in so much trouble."

"But why?"

"Later."

_I swear, if he says 'later' one more time . . ._

"Later, Rosalie."

Her face went blank and David smirked, turning his head to look at Paul. Dwayne brought his gaze back to Rosalie, and finally spoke for the first time to her.

"You'll know soon enough." Rosalie stopped for a moment as she found her eyes looking over every inch of Dwayne's face. As much as she wanted to drag her eyes away . . . she couldn't. She couldn't and it drove her nuts.

Rosalie sighed, walking away from the boys and shaking her head.

You don't need to be getting caught up with some boy, Rosalie. Besides, all your past boyfriends are more than likely like this guy.

"Where are you going?" Marko asked after her. She turned a little, looking over her shoulder at him.

_Anywhere_, Rosalie thought with a sigh.

"She doesn't know," Paul said, earning a confused look from Rosalie.

" . . . You took the words right out of my mouth." She turned again, her feet making little clicking noises on the wood. As she walked on, she got lost in her thoughts and stopped eventually paying attention.

_How do they know me? How can I possibly know them? Did they know me when I was young, before I left? How? What?_

Rosalie shook her head quickly, looking around her. It was all foggy and she was somewhere she didn't know, somewhere being the middle of the woods across the train tracks.

"Shit,"she whispered under her breath, taking in the scenery of tall trees and listening for any sound besides the quiet. "Great, oh great."

She wrapped her arms around herself as she continued walking, more focused on getting out than on the questions floating around her head. When she finally reached something different in the scenery - an old wooden bridge above a wide rushing stream - she sighed in relief, walking over to it.

_I really hope it holds_, Rosalie thought, stepping one foot onto the bridge slowly and walking to the middle. With each creak she cringed, and each time she felt a board under her foot move she'd freeze.

"Need help?"

With a gasp, Rosalie jumped up into the air and landed back onto the bridge, the wooden boards finally breaking under Rosalie's weight and falling into the water below. She squealed as she quickly fell into the deep water below, kicking at the surface and desperately trying to get oxygen.

Suddenly, she was pulled up to the surface by two strong arms and she found herself sitting on the bank of the stream, dripping wet as someone took a spot beside her. Rosalie looked over to see Dwayne sitting beside her, watching as she recalled the last few moments.

". . . How are you not wet?" Rosalie finally asked, looking over at him. "Didn't you save me?"

"You weren't far from the bank."

"Oh."

And they sat in a silence for a little while, both quiet, before Rosalie stood up with a shiver. Dwayne stood up, too, eyeing the girl.

"I'll walk you home," he said.

"You don't have-"

"I will." Rosalie raised an eyebrow but shrugged, rubbing her arms and trying to warm herself from the cold water that she'd fallen into. Dwayne noticed, then hesitated for a few seconds before shrugging off his jacket and holding it out to Rosalie.

"Oh, thank you," Rosalie said, taking it and putting it on. It was big on her, but it was warm and comforting in a strange way.

Dwayne nodded slightly and led the way to Rosalie's house as if he already knew the route out of the woods and back through town, which made Rosalie a little skeptical of Dwayne. But she was thankful to be home within an hour of falling in the cold water, of course, and as soon as she stood in front of the quiet house she told Dwayne that.

"Thanks for helping me out. I would've never found this place alone."

"No problem." Rosalie began to walk up the driveway when she remembered she was still wearing Dwayne's jacket.

"Oh, I forgot-" She turned around, but Dwayne was already gone. And he'd seemed to have forgotten all about his jacket on her shoulders.


	10. Chapter 10

**_"People are strange when you're a stranger, faces look ugly when you're alone." -The Doors_**

People Are Strange

_There was blood. There was a tall jeweled bottle. And there were four men hanging around inside of a cave, whooping and hollering as if they'd never whoop and holler again. But as they whooped and hollered, a young girl was standing outside the cave, alone, looking around at all she saw._

_She wore two little pigtails full of delicate brown locks of hair, and had big blue eyes that showed emotions with ease. Her lips were pouted as she was sprayed with ocean water in the middle of the night, and her arms were wrapped tightly around her midsection. She didn't know how she'd gotten here, in front of a cave, where the whoops and hollers came from._

_Then . . . she stepped inside._

Now, Rosalie was confused as she laid her eyes upon what she'd seen. She saw the little girl and recognized her from pictures - pictures of her. She was terribly confused as to what was going to happen, and why she was going to enter the cave.

_Her little steps were quiet as she followed the noises, her eyebrows furrowing as she did so. The steps were steep and made of dirt, which was confusing to her because she was used to wooden stairs. Not dirt._

_But then the little girl made one mistake: she mistook a step and went tumbling down with a screech. Immediately all other noises ceased and were replaced by hisses of a primal being, and all four of the men that had been lingering in the cave looked at the little girl who fell onto flat ground._

_Her face contorted with pain and tears fell from her eyes as she began sobbing, and all four men closed in on her. But then one noticed her age._

_"Three," he said, holding one of the others back from attacking her. "She's only three. Marko, get me a first aid kit."_

_"David, we don't have one down here. Why would we need one?"_

_"Well we need one now." He flashed his fangs as a warning. "Get one for me,_ now!_"_

_Marko nodded, used to David's bossiness, and left the cave in search for a first aid kit. The other two men backed off, but their eyes never left the bloody knees of the little girl._

_David picked her up, fighting back the urge to drink her blood._

_"What is your name." The girl sniffled._

_"B-Bella . . ." She clung to his jacket and he looked down at her little hands. Then . . . a thought hit him._

_"You look more like a Rose to me," he said, looking over her face. "That was the name of one of my sister's. Why don't I call you . . . Rosalie."_

_"O-Okay," the little girl responded with a sniffle and a nod. "Who are you?"_

_"My name's David, and that's Paul, and that's Dwayne." Dwayne's eyes had left the scraped knees, but when he met Rosalie's eyes something changed. He felt . . . something. It was love for the girl, as if he wanted to keep her safe from all the harm the world might give her. He wanted to make sure she would be treated special, and even from a brief glance her knew that this little girl meant something to him._

And that's when Rosalie woke up, in a sweat, from Laddie jumping on her, saying breakfast was ready and he wanted to go back to the comic book store on the boardwalk.

"If I get more comics, I'll be busier longer, and you won't have to worry about me!" Laddie said, jumping up and down on top of Rosalie as she pulled the blanket over her head. "And that one guy can have more time to talk to you!"

"Laddie, it's too early for this," Rosalie responded.

"But it's already nine! It's time for the day to start!"

"I'll be down in a little bit. Just . . . go on down."

"But-"

"Please?" Laddie gave a little groan, but stopped jumping and left the room. Rosalie sat up, thinking about the dream of the previous night.

_Was that real?_ she thought, pulling back the blankets. _Did everything in the dream really happen at one time? Was what happened last night real and not a dream? What if this is all . . . _fake?

But even Rosalie knew it wasn't fake. She knew that as soon as she saw the jacket from last night thrown over a chair. Rosalie stood and walked over to the jacket carefully, as if waiting for something to jump out. But nothing did.

And then she lifted up the jacket, holding it in one of her arms as she felt the leather with her fingers.

It was a pretty normal jacket - black, with soft, worn leather and metal buttons up the openings. The collar was folded in triangles, along with the zippers on the sides. The only thing that set this leather jacket apart from others was the right sleeve, which was printed with a tiger clawing the right breast bone on the side. Rosalie hadn't noticed that.

She kept her eyes trailed on it, focusing on the claws of the tiger as she thought.

_I know this jacket, I know this jacket, I know this jacket . . . Where do I know this jacket?_

"Bella, breakfast in ready!" Mrs. Caligor called up the stairs. Rosalie didn't respond, forgetting her name was actually Bella, and remained in the same spot. Until she heard the footsteps on the stairs, and she rushed around her room to hide the jacket. It ended up in one of her boxes in the closet and right as the door opened, Rosalie was walking towards the door.

"Oh, you're awake," Mrs. Caligor said with a slight raised eyebrow. "I thought you were still in bed."

"I just got up," Rosalie responded.

"As I can see. Breakfast is ready downstairs."

"Alright." There was no mention of last night's events, much to Rosalie's relief. She followed Mrs. Caligor down the stairs of the house and into the dining room, where her father and little brother sat. Kevin wasn't even in the room, but at this point, Rosalie wasn't surprised. In fact, she was sure he was either passed out in his car or over at Kyle's house. Maybe John's, even.

Rosalie took a spot beside Laddie, who gave her a grin as she sat.

"Can we please go?" he whispered as she sat, Mrs. Caligor taking a spot across from her. "_Please?_"

"What're you talking about, Laddie?" Mr. Caligor asked, earning the attention of his wife.

"He wants me to go with him on the boardwalk," Rosalie explained, seeing no point in lying.

"Well . . . I don't see a problem with that," Mr. Caligor replied. "It could save us some money, so we don't have to take him to that daycare today. What do you think, honey?"

"It is girl's night at Lucky's Bar . . . Do you think you could watch him for tonight, too?" Mrs. Caligor asked. "I don't want to make you do anything, though, and I'll make sure you have money."

_Enough shoving money down my throat_, Rosalie thought with an internal groan.

"That'll work," Rosalie said as Laddie clapped his hands.

I just hope those one guys will be on the boardwalk.

Rosalie walked up to her room as soon as she finished eating breakfast, Laddie right on her heels and talking her ear off.

"Are we going to the comic book store?" he asked, watching as she fished into her closet for the leather jacket. "What's that? I like the tiger!"

"It's one of my . . . friends's . . . jacket."

"But why do you have it?" Laddie asked. Rosalie picked out an outfit and walked into the bathroom, leaving the door cracked.

"They let me borrow it."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Laddie." She finished changing and ruffled her hair before walking out. She hesitated, looking at the jacket, before putting it over her arm to carry.

"Are you taking that with you?" Laddie asked. Rosalie gave a slight nod as she put her bag over her shoulder. She took Laddie's hand in hers and led him from the house before their parents could give them any money to spend.

The whole time they walked to the boardwalk, Laddie asked all about the jacket and the person who owned it. Rosalie didn't know much about the owner himself, and only that he was silent and dark.

As soon as they reached the boardwalk, though, her thoughts went to making sure Laddie was in her vision. He was already running to the comic book store, ready to find a new comic. When it finally came into view, Rosalie relaxed and let him find his comics.

"You're back," Edgar said from the store counter, watching as she walked over.

"Laddie was practically begging to come back," Rosalie responded, looking over at Alan. His eyes reminded her of Dwayne's - dark and never leaving her.

"Did you read the comic?" Edgar asked.

"I haven't had the time," Rosalie responded. Then she paused, thinking. "But I saw them last night. The boys."

Edgar jumped down from the counter, standing in front of her.

"Tell me everything that happened."

". . . They'd followed me to the train tracks. They told me that they were keeping an eye on me and I think they knew me from somewhere."

"We've got to do something," Alan spoke up. "Before they kill . . ."

Rosalie went silent. Would they really kill me if they were keeping me protected from something?

". . . I don't think they're going to kill me. They wouldn't be keeping an eye on me unless-"

"-Unless they wanted to stalk you before eating you."

"Are you still stuck on this vampire thing?" Rosalie asked. In truth, she was concerned about that herself. "I don't think they're vampires."

"They are. I can sense it." Laddie came running up with a stack of comics, and Rosalie paid for them.

"Maybe you're wrong, though," Rosalie said, "Look . . . maybe I can figure out if they are."

"What are you proposing?"

"What I'm proposing is . . . maybe I can see it for myself and figure out if they are. If they aren't, then back off. If they are . . . well, I'm not sure."

"Are you telling us to _wait?_"

"That's exactly what I'm saying, because if you kill them and they aren't vampires, you'll be in a lot of trouble. So stay back, and let me handle it."

"That's not what we do, Rose," Alan butt in. "We don't let people keep us from our work."

"Well, Mr. Frog, I am." She looked him dead in the eye before Laddie took her hand, dragging her out of the store and away from the startled boys.


	11. Chapter 11

**_"So the story goes, I think I'll take her for a ride." -Cheap Trick_**

He's A Whore

Nighttime came around, and Laddie and Rosalie were still on the boardwalk. She sat beside him in a little ice cream parlor, watching as Laddie downed a hot fudge sundae.

"Laddie," Rosalie said, sighing as she wiped his cheeks, "You're getting that chocolate everywhere."

"But it's so._ Good._" He dived right back into the sundae, and Rosalie turned her attention out the window. She was keeping her eyes open for the four men who usually hung around and struck fear into the people on the boardwalk. The jacket was on the free seat beside her, laying there as if waiting for someone to claim it as their own once again.

"Hey, Rose!" She looked back as she saw Cindy walk into the little parlor, followed by Alan and Edgar. She rushed over and took the spot beside Rosalie, nearly sitting on the jacket before Rosalie managed to move it out of the way. Alan and Edgar pulled up chairs. "What's up?"

"Just taking Laddie out for some ice cream," Rosalie responded.

"That sounds fun," Cindy said, smiling over at Laddie. "I'm in the mood for some ice cream myself; Edgar, go and get some with me?"

"Do I have to?" Edgar asked, sighing as Cindy stood up. She scoffed and grabbed his arm, pulling him up and dragging him to the glass window holding the different flavors of ice cream.

"Are those two dating?" Rosalie asked, shaking her head as she watched Cindy playfully shove Edgar and watch him shove back in the same way. "Because I really think they are."

"I'm not sure," Alan said, looking at them himself. "Maybe."

"They certainly like each other," Rosalie replied, turning back to look out the window. She nearly leapt from her seat as she noticed one of the men standing outside, leaning against the boardwalk railing. It was Paul, and his eyes were directly on her. But then they landed on the boy beside her, and his head tilted just a little bit.

"Yeah, they do," Alan agreed. Then Cindy turned around and sent Alan a foreign look that Rosalie didn't recognize. He gave a little cough, and Rosalie noticed Paul shift a little and his eyes widen just a bit. "Listen, Rosalie . . . what're you doing next Saturday?"

"Well . . . nothing, that I know of."

_Fuck, he better not be asking me out._

"Do you want to go out on the boardwalk with me?"

_Oh fuck, oh fuck, _oh my fuck_._

"Like . . . on a date?"

". . . Yeah. A date." Rosalie glanced outside, and Paul looked like he was ready to storm into the parlor. But he didn't.

"Sure," Rosalie said with a small smile. "I need to go, though. I have to get Laddie home and make sure he gets to sleep."

"Okay."

"Bye, Alan." Alan's eyes were on the jacket in Rosalie's arms, but he drug them up to look at her face again. She gave him a small smile as she wiped Laddie's face again with a napkin and disposed of the little plastic dish he'd been eating out of. They walked out of the store, past Paul, who had opened his mouth to say something. Instead, he followed her down the boardwalk until she reached a secluded spot where very few people lingered.

"Why're you watching me?" Rosalie asked, stopping beside the railing to look out at the dark blue waves. Paul stood was on her right side, looking down at her.

"We told you why last night."

"Yeah, but it's just kind of weird." Paul sighed and turned so his whole body was facing Rosalie.

"You really don't remember me?" Rosalie brought her eyes to his.

"No, I don't. But . . . you were in my dream last night."

"Sex dream?"

"What? No!" She went beet red in the face and Paul laughed as the ocean breeze picked up, blowing through his hair.

"I just had to ask. So, Alan Frog?"

"How do you know him?"

"I have ways." He smiled. "But what are you doing agreeing to go on a date with someone like him?"

"He's not that bad," Rosalie said defensively. "He's just . . . a little strange."

_Yeah, for asking me out._

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself." Paul looked over at Laddie, who was climbing up the railing to get a better view of the ocean. "There's people that like you and all of your flaws."

"Okay, how do you guys keep doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"You know what I think. How," Rosalie replied. "Seriously, it's annoying."

"Do you think I'm going to tell you?" Paul asked, smiling a little with a shake of the head. Rosalie frowned and sighed. "By the way, you look pretty cute when you frown."

"You flirting with me?" Rosalie questioned with a furrowed brow. Inside, she was more than flattered.

"What if I am? I'm a natural flirt."

"As I can see."

"And I know you secretly love it," Paul said with a smirk. His eyes glanced down and stopped on the leather jacket in Rosalie's arms. "Is that Dwayne's jacket?"

"Yeah, actually," Rosalie replied, lifting it up. "He let me borrow it last night after I fell in the creek."

"Oh, he mentioned that. I must not have been playing close attention."

"Not surprising." Paul rolled his eyes and pursed his lips.

"Well, I was going to give you some advice, but since you're being so mean . . ."

"Advice?" Rosalie asked, looking over at Laddie as he let out a little squeak of joy. Paul gave a nod and turned to her with a mischievous glint his eyes.

"Yeah."

"Well . . . can I hear it?" Paul gave a sigh.

"I suppose." He took the jacket from Rosalie's arms without warning and unfolded it, holding it up. "Definitely Dwayne's jacket. Anyways . . ."

He then went behind Rosalie and put it on her shoulders, grabbing her arms and putting them in through the sleeves. Rosalie gave a slight gasp as she saw something in her mind.

Paul in her vision, doing the same thing years ago when she was younger - when her arms were half the length. He had been smiling as he helped her put on the jacket.

"You alright?" Paul asked, eyebrows furrowed as Rosalie leaned heavily against the railing.

"I saw you. I don't know . . . I saw something in my mind. You were helping me put this jacket on, but . . ."

"You were younger," Paul finished softly. Rosalie was surprised by the sudden change. "Anyways . . . just keep the jacket on. No one'll both you tonight if you wear it."

"I was going to give it back to Dwayne."

"He'll survive one more night without it." Rosalie nodded and Paul sighed and stretched before turning to her again.

"You wanna have some fun?" he asked.

"If you think I'm letting you in my-"

"I didn't mean that. I'm kind of hurt you thought that." He held a hand up to his heart and acted as if hurt. Rosalie just frowned. ". . . Okay. Maybe that was expected. But anyways . . . I just wanted to see if you wanted to go for a ride."

"A ride?"

"Yes. You and . . ."

"Laddie. My brother," Rosalie finished as Laddie jumped down from the railing.

"Yeah, you and him. We'll drive well."

"Depends," Rosalie said cautiously.

"Please, Rose? It'll be fun!" Laddie spoke up, jumping up and down. "Please, please, please?"

". . . Oh, alright." Paul smiled and Rosalie took Laddie's hand as he led the siblings away. They walked across the boardwalk to another part, this one much more livelier, until they reached the four motorcycles Rosalie saw the first night she arrived in Santa Carla. Dwayne, Marko, and David all sat on their bikes, checking out the passing girls and watching all the different people. They all looked at Rosalie, some with envious eyes and others with fear.

"Look who I've got with me," Paul announced, walking over and wrapping an arm around Rosalie's shoulders. "Found this hottie and her little handsome brother."

"Do I look like the Sun to you?" Rosalie asked, raising an eyebrow. Marko gave a laugh and Rosalie smiled a little. Dwayne's eyes were on the jacket she was wearing over her shoulders.

"Pretty damn hot, yes." She rolled her eyes and David spoke up.

"C'mon, boys; let's go home."

"He can ride with me," Dwayne spoke up, nodding his head to Laddie. Rosalie nodded a little and Laddie ran over to Dwayne, smiling as he did so. Dwayne grabbed his arm and helped him onto the bike.

"You can ride with me, Rosie," Paul said, smirking as he got onto his bike.

"Don't call me 'Rosie'," she replied as he held out a hand to help her onto his bike. She sat down behind him and Paul turned his head slightly to her.

"You might wanna hold on."

"As if." Rosalie crossed her arms, and Paul shrugged.

"Suit yourself." Then he started his bike and David led the group from the boardwalk, riding down the stairs and across the beach quickly. Rosalie understood why Paul had told her to hold on and did just that, her arms going around Paul's torso. He laughed, turning his head slightly to look at her as they went flying down the beach. "Scared?"

"No!" Rosalie said, although her mind screamed yes.

"You're about to be." They then reached the forest, and Rosalie had to admit that Paul was a reckless driver. She held on for dear life as he flew through the air on his bike, nearly (but never) hitting trees and taking sharp turns and following his brothers, all of which were whooping and hollering and laughing.

Then . . . she heard Laddie laughing, and Rosalie turned her head to look at Dwayne behind her and Paul. She could barely see Laddie behind Dwayne, but she saw his little arms around his waist. She couldn't help but smile at the two before turning back around, her head on Paul's shoulder as she looked in front of them.

_You know_, she thought, _Maybe this isn't so bad after all._


	12. Chapter 12

_**"Just wakin' up from what we had, could stop good love from going bad." -Def Leppard**_

Foolin'

Rosalie's stomach was twisting by the time Paul had finally stopped the motorcycle. She stood up, legs shaking, and leaned against Paul.

"You alright?" Paul asked, laughing.

"Yeah, just . . . gimme . . . a minute." She shook her head a few times and stood straighter, brushing off Dwayne's jacket as she did so.

"You wanna see something cool?" Marko asked, walking over to them as Dwayne and David led Laddie down a set of wooden stairs that opened at an open area beside the sea.

"What?" Rosalie asked, tired of all the surprises she'd been getting lately.

"Close your eyes, and don't peek. If you do, then I'll have to kill you." His voice was only half-joking, and Rosalie shook her head before tightly closing her eyes. She felt someone come up behind her and pick her up, then the rush of wind as someone started running.

"What exactly are you going to do?" Rosalie asked, eyes still shut tightly.

"You'll see. You can open your eyes now." Rosalie did so and gasped, jumping as she caught a glimpse of what Marko had her dangling over. He was holding her bridal style, but his arms were extended out and holding her over a cliff.

"What the hell are you doing?" she screamed as Marko pretended to almost accidentally drop her. "Put me back onto solid ground!"

_I really think the Frog brothers might be right about the vampire thing_, Rosalie thought, _But they forgot one important part: they're fucking nuts._

"Well that wasn't very nice," Marko said, letting out a 'hmph' sound. "I think you should be punished for that."

"If you drop me off this cliff and I die . . ."

"Oh, you won't die." Marko then dropped her off the cliff, and Rosalie screamed as she started falling. She felt a rush of adrenaline through her veins as her death came closer and closer, and she could practically hear her heart beating and beating, and feel the air get pushed from her lungs, and the ocean got closer and closer until -

. . . Rosalie didn't fall into the water, or the sharp jagged rocks below. Instead, blackness filled her vision, and all she could hear were voices and feel another rush of air, along with someone's arms pulling her away.

"Marko, you asshole!" Sounded like Dwayne's voice. "If she would've found out about us . . ."

"I was just having fun, you know she used to love that!" Marko's response, which sounded a little lost. "Besides, I knew you would come to her rescue, lover boy."

"Don't do it again until everything's resolved. Now I have to cover for your sorry ass," David's voice rang before Dwayne could say anything more, and then Rosalie felt herself moving. "She's awake."

Rosalie opened her eyes and found herself laying on what looked like a makeshift bed inside of an old cave. The boys were sitting around her, and Laddie was curled up by her side, asleep.

"What-?"

"You tripped on some stairs and fell," David said. "Knocked yourself right out."

"No, I didn't. I was thrown off a cliff, I know I was." David gave a little chuckle.

"I think you hit your head harder than I thought."

"Stop trying to trick me," Rosalie said, furrowing her eyebrows.

"We aren't," Paul said, speaking up. "Don't you trust us, Rosalie?"

_I've literally known you for two days, of course not._

They all shared a little look and Rosalie sighed a little.

"Well, might as well show you around while we're here," David said, standing up and pulling Rosalie with him. She stood with shaky legs before managing her weight and taking in more of her surroundings.

She knew this place - she recognized it. But from where?

_. . . The dream._

"Who are you guys?" Rosalie asked, looking at them individually. "Did I really wander into the cave like I saw?"

"Your dream was a memory," David said, taking a seat in his throne - an old wheelchair. "A memory I made sure you'd have."

"You can send me dreams?" Rosalie asked.

"I've done it before."

". . . Then do it again." David furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at Rosalie, as if looking for a joke.

"I don't do favors," he responded coldly. "Besides . . . you couldn't give me anything I'd want in exchange."

"But maybe I could," Rosalie said.

"The one thing I do want I can't have from you," he said simply with a taunting little smile.

"And what would that be?" she asked as the other vampires joined David, standing around him as if his guard dogs.

"I only answer questions I want to."

". . . Fine, don't answer my questions."

"And I won't. Would you like something to eat?" David asked. "Marko, go find us something to eat, won't you?"

"I'm not really-"

"You are, I can tell," David responded, cutting Rosalie off as she closed her mouth. She was, in fact, hungry, but felt bad asking for food from them. Marko left the cave and Rosalie turned her attention to the Jim Morrison poster.

"I wish he was still alive," Rosalie said, looking over Jim's face, "He was influential and an amazing poet as well as singer."

"I'm glad to see your taste hasn't changed," Paul said, walking over to a cardboard box. "We should have some fun, boys. What's in the rock box?"

He picked up the box and carried it over, pushing it onto Rosalie's lap. She looked inside and smiled, noticing all the different bands on different tapes.

"You speak my language," Rosalie said, digging through the box. "Hm . . . you can't go wrong with _Pyromania_."

"Def Leppard," Dwayne said, raising an eyebrow. "They haven't come out with anything for a while."

"Maybe they're building up antici . . . _pation_."

". . . You did not just quote _The Rocky Horror Picture Show_," Marko said, looking over at Rosalie as Paul took the Def Leppard cassette tape from her hands.

Rosalie sent them one of her cheeky smiles, the one that didn't come out very often. It was the same one she'd worn a few days before the incident that changed everything . . .


	13. Chapter 13

**_"What we are is what we are." -Alice Cooper_**

You And Me

Marko came back from getting food after an hour, and in that hour, much had happened, meaning that Rosalie saw much of what the boys did most of the time. She could only smile, however, as she watched them running around the fountain in the cave, flinging their jackets around and yelling. Paul seemed to enjoy it the most, however, and was the leader. That was only because David refused to move from his little 'throne'. Even at one point, Paul had pulled Rosalie up so that they could dance. She swore that while he swung her around, she saw the smallest glimpse of golden eyes on Paul's face. But only for a second, as if it was just a trick of the light.

"What'd you get?" Paul asked once Marko started walking down to the floor of the cave, two boxes in his arms. Marko looked over at Rosalie with a big, cheeky smile like he knew something she didn't.

"Rose's favorite." And it really was - Chicago-Style pizza.

"How'd you know?" Rosalie asked, pursing her lips as she thought. "Did you read my mind again?"

"No. I'm just not stupid."

"I never told you my favorite food." Marko shrugged and set the pizza down beside David, who turned to look at Rosalie.

"Guests first," David said, gesturing to the pizza.

"Oh," Rosalie said with eyes a notch wider. "I don't really mind if someone goes before me."

"Guests first."

"But-"

"_Guests first_."

_He can be firm when he wants to be_, Rosalie thought. She stood up and walked over to the pizza box and quickly took one of the slices. She watched as the others took two or three at a time, and while she quietly ate, she realized something._ Vampires don't eat actual food. _

And Rosalie was relieved at that, because it meant that the Frog brothers were wrong and she didn't have a chance at being eaten.

"When did you suddenly turn quiet?" Marko asked.

"What?" Rosalie responded.

"You weren't ever this quiet when you were younger." Rosalie sighed as she finished her slice of pizza and she looked at all of the boys around her.

"Okay, I'm getting more and more confused the more and more you guys say stuff about when I was younger. Do you even know where I went and when I came back?" Rosalie asked, sighing angrily. "You guys don't know me at all and yet you're acting like you've known me your whole life."

"First of all, I don't enjoy your daft statements," David responded.

"It's the truth."

"And second, we knew you for a long time before you left."

"But _how?_"

"We're not quite to that point yet," David said. "Besides, I don't think I want to talk about that."

"Then I'm leaving," Rosalie said bravely, clenching her fists unknowingly. "I'm not going to just sit around and wait for answers."

"The door's open," David replied. Rosalie stood up with a shrug of the shoulders and walked over to where Laddie was asleep and picked him up.

"Thanks for the pizza," Rosalie said, not looking back as she left the cave. She heard Dwayne's voice echo on the cave walls as she walked up each step with Laddie in her arms, but the voice was gone as soon as she stepped into the night air. Laddie shivered a little and Rosalie wrapped him close to her side in the jacket she was wearing.

She started her walk up the wooden staircase, and right as she reached the top she saw someone waiting there for her. She gave a gasp and jumped a little, seeing Dwayne standing there as if waiting for her to hurry up.

"How'd you get up here so fast?" Rosalie asked as Laddie stirred, then went back into a peaceful sleep.

"There's another way up that's quicker," Dwayne replied, his hawk eyes trailing on Laddie's sleeping face before lingering to the jacket Rosalie still had on her shoulders. Then she remembered she still had Dwayne's jacket on. "I'm taking you home."

"I can find my way back." Dwayne let out a deep laugh, his lips curling up in a half-smile.

"Do you even know where you are?" Rosalie didn't respond. "That's what I thought. So I'm taking you home."

She gave a little nod as she followed Dwayne over to his motorbike, biting her lips as she did so.

"Will you tell me how you guys know me?" she finally asked. "And why you've all been treating me like a little sister?"

Dwayne didn't stop, nor turn, but his shoulders stiffened a little.

"I can't."

"But-"

"Don't ask again." Then he paused. "Please."

"Fine," Rosalie said with a sigh as they reached his bike. Dwayne got on first and held out a hand to Rosalie, looking at her expectantly. She took his hand with a small red tint to her cheeks, and he helped her onto the back of his motorbike. Laddie was still curled up and asleep, cushioned between Dwayne's back and Rosalie's chest.

She hesitantly wrapped her arms around Dwayne's torso, which was covered in a black shirt since he didn't have his jacket. She made sure Laddie wouldn't fall and she wouldn't either, and Dwayne took off on his bike.

He drove much better than Paul, but Rosalie figured that was because Laddie was with them - either that or Dwayne knew Paul's driving had scared Rosalie half to death. He still drove quickly, however, and made his way through the forest until he reached town. Within minutes, she was getting off of Dwayne's bike in front of her house.

"Thanks for the ride," Rosalie said, "Oh, and before I forget. . ."

She held Laddie with one arm and took off Dwayne's jacket, handing it back over. She felt cold, suddenly - alone. Dwayne nodded and shrugged the jacket on, and Rosalie had to admit he looked complete with it.

"Bye," Dwayne replied as she walked up the driveway still holding Laddie. The house was quiet and silent, with no one home but Rosalie and Laddie. And really, if Rosalie could have the house any way, it would be like that.


	14. Chapter 14

**_"With her hooks and her grace, beauty has her way." -Mummy Calis_**

Beauty Has Her Way

Days and nights passed without any sighting of the boys after Rosalie left unexpectedly, receiving no answers from any of them. She wasn't surprised to see that they weren't talking to her, but she always knew they were around at night when she went on the boardwalk. But no matter what, she always saw one of them watching her from a distance as she talked to the Frog brothers or went to buy records with Cindy. But then about a week after she'd been taken to the cave - a Thursday - they started making themselves apparent once more. But it wasn't in the way any of them would've liked.

It started off as a normal night - Cindy was off from work and taking Rosalie around the boardwalk, pointing out all the best shops to her. This particular night Cindy had told Rosalie she was taking her shopping for her first date.

"We could go to this boutique, if you're feeling more springy, or this one, if you want to go for a darker look," Cindy said, pointing to two stores not far apart. She turned to look at Rosalie, a hand on her chin. "But I think colors would look nice on you, in my opinion. Maybe a light blue to bring out your eyes."

"I've always stuck to darker colors," Rosalie responded.

"Well . . . tell you what, we'll look around for something for you to wear tomorrow night, and if you see something you like, you'll try it on and I'll buy it. But either way, I'm buying you a pretty colorful dress."

"Do I have to wear it?"

"Yes." Rosalie sighed and Cindy led the way to the colorful boutique, passing different dresses. Some were frilly, some were flat - others were covered with lace - some had these big itchy sleeves that made Rosalie cringe - and some were very vibrant colors that caught her eye at first glance.

"So," Cindy began as they pushed through a rack of discounted dresses, "Are you excited for your date tomorrow night?"

"Yeah," Rosalie said. She really was excited, yet nervous. She'd never been on a date in with someone like Alan, who seemed more quiet and superstitious than anyone else she knew. She'd been on dates with other boys before, but none of the relationships really lasted - they were the types of boys who would never settle down, the type who broke every single person they touched. Only . . . Rosalie had managed to break away before any of that happened. And something in her heart told her that Alan wouldn't hurt her. Or at least do it intentionally.

"He already told me what he was planning to do, and I think you'll enjoy it," Cindy replied with a small smile, holding up a powder blue dress with a zebra belt. "How about this?"

"It looks tight, and I don't think anyone should see my fat rolls," Rosalie said.

"What fat rolls?" Cindy asked, furrowing her eyebrows. She pointed to herself. "_I_ have fat rolls. You have muscles."

"Yeah, but I still have them," Rosalie replied, shrugging. Cindy sighed and put the dress back and went back to searching. "Okay, I'm not seeing anything that I'm liking."

"Really?" Cindy asked. "Damn."

Rosalie shrugged and looked away, over at the other racks around them. She spotted a dress with light blue flowery lace over creamy silk, and instantly, surprisingly found herself falling in love with it. Cindy followed her gaze and looked at the dress, her eyes lighting up.

"Now _that_ is a dress," she said, walking over and picking it up, "You've got some good taste now."

"I guess I do," Rosalie mumbled, fingering the silk fabric.

"Well, go try it on for me!" Cindy exclaimed, pushing the dress into Rosalie's arms and pointing over to a fitting booth. Rosalie walked over with a little eye roll and small smile, shutting the door to the fitting room as she tried on the dress. The fabric felt soft and smooth against her skin, and the color of it brought out the pale look her skin always held. The blue really did bring out her blue eyes, and made them pop under the fluorescent light of the store.

When Rosalie stepped out in the dress, Cindy was gazing out the window longingly, her eyebrows furrowed with a small smile perking the side of one of her lips up.

"Cindy?" Rosalie asked, waving a hand in front of her face. Cindy shook her head and jumped, turning her gaze back to Rosalie.

"Oh, sorry!" she replied quickly, her breathing a little more heavy than before. "I was just . . . I saw someone."

"Who?"

"I . . . It was someone I know I shouldn't have glanced at," Cindy said quietly, looking down at her hands. "God, the Frog brothers would kill me if they knew I just looked at-"

Rosalie knew instantly she'd looked at one of the Lost Boys. And now, she feared that Cindy was going to end up being attracted to one of them unknowingly, which is exactly what Rosalie wanted. She could tell those boys were more wild than the surfer nazis, and that's something Cindy didn't like anyways. What would it mean if Cindy got caught up with one of the Lost Boys, too?

Rosalie shook the thought away. _I need to stop being so selfish. _

"What did he look like?" Rosalie asked, looking over her reflection in the mirror.

"He looked like a rock star," Cindy replied, sighing a little. "He'd never go for me, though. I'm fat and ugly."

Rosalie turned around, hands on her hips.

"Now you just wait a minute," she said, "You've treated me kindly the whole time I've been here. You've been kind enough to take me shopping for new clothes. You are a beautiful girl, and what does it matter if you've got body fat? Doesn't change your personality. Some guys dig curvy girls, too, you know, and your inner beauty is enough to win over anyone. It won me over, and I told myself I wasn't going to talk to anyone when I first got here."

"Do you mean it?" Cindy asked, a hopeful glint in her eyes.

"Of course I do." Cindy's eyes took on a glassy look and she lowered her head for a few seconds, shaking the hair in front of her face. Then she looked back up, her eyes still a little glassy.

"That dress makes you look golden," she said with a soft tone. "I'm buying it for you."

Rosalie nodded with a small smile and went back into the fitting room to take the dress off. She came back out and Cindy took the dress up to the counter and paid for it before they walked out.

"Do you think our brothers are down on the beach?" Rosalie asked as they walked on. Cindy stopped for a few seconds, turning her head to the beach.

"Yeah, they are. I can hear them," she replied, walking again. Rosalie turned her attention to them and pursed her lips.

"I think that maybe I should go check on Kevin. Just to make sure he isn't passed out," Rosalie said, biting her fingernail.

"You're too good to him," Cindy responded with a sigh. "_Way_ to good."

"He's still my brother, though."

"Okay, okay. I'm going to go to the comic store, and if you aren't there in twenty minutes, I'm coming after you." Rosalie sent her a smile.

"Got it." She then walked down to the beach as Cindy walked away, still holding the bag with Rosalie's dress in it.

"Kevin?" Rosalie asked, walking along the beach.

"Bella!" Kevin bellowed, running over to her in his drunken state and hugging her from the side. "How's my sista?"

"Uh . . . she's okay. I was just walking over to make sure you were alright."

"Aw, that's sweet." Rosalie turned her head from Kevin, the stench of beer on his breath becoming too much. "Wanna beer?"

"No," Rosalie replied, shaking her head. Kyle walked over with his arm around a girl Rosalie didn't recognize, who was spilling all of her beer everywhere.

"Who's this?" she asked, giggling on the end.

"This is Kevin's hot sister," Kyle slurred, struggling to stay on his own two feet. "But she's a party-pooper."

Rosalie rolled her eyes, and the girl Kyle had his arm around fell forward a little, her beer falling forward and hitting Rosalie in the face. She gasped as some of the bitter liquid got into her mouth, and she spit it out.

"What the hell?" Rosalie asked, anger pulsing through her veins. "Are you god damned serious?"

"Whoa, chill out," Kyle replied as the girl passed out on him.

"No! She just got beer all over me!" Rosalie said, clenching her fists. "You know what? Whatever. I'm leaving."

Kevin didn't try to stop her, and Rosalie stopped away, her hair soaked with beer and the taste still in her mouth. She stopped after a few minutes, however, when she started to feel dizzy.

_What the hell?_ she thought, holding onto a post as she blinked a little. The things she saw in front of her eyes were all blurred into one big picture and she didn't understand why as she looked around for Cindy, for Alan, for anybody.

She started walking forward again, her legs going a little numb as she walked up each boardwalk step.

"Rosalie." She looked up a little, but couldn't make out who was in front of her.

"Huh?" she asked, shaking her head a little as she felt an arm go around her shoulders.

"C'mon, I'm taking you home." She only nodded a little as she felt herself being walked away, and the blurred images in front of her eyes seemed to move too slowly. Eventually, black started to spot her vision and she shook her head, darkness falling over her head like a blanket.


	15. Chapter 15

_"Paul, will you play with me?" The question echoed through the cave as the same little girl from Rosalie's dream came up to him. Paul stood tall compared to the little grinning girl, who was bouncing on her heels and holding up her hands as if she wanted to be held. _

_Paul picked her up. _

_"I don't play," he said simply, looking at the little girl. She stuck out her bottom lip in a pout, making a 'hmph' sound as she did so. Her eyes lightened up, however, when one of her hands started to play with a strand of his blond hair. _

_"Can I play with your hair?" she asked. "Please?" _

_"Rosie, I don't let people play with my hair." _

_"But I'm an exception because I'm special!" she squealed. "Please? _Please?_" _

_Paul gave a sigh and sat down on the ground, Native American-style, and set her down. _

_"Go nuts." She clapped her hands and ran behind him, her fingers twisting themselves in his hair and making little braids in them._

_That little girl - Rosalie - had been the only one who could touch Paul's hair and get away unscathed. _

Rosalie woke up on the floor of her bedroom, a jacket around her shoulders. She moaned a little as she sat up, heading pounding. She heard a shuffle and looked over to see Marko sitting outside her window on the roof. He gave a little wave."

"Nice to see you're awake."

"How'd you get here?" Rosalie asked groggily, sitting up. "How did _I_ get here?"

"That chick's drink had drugs in it. It got into your system and you got knocked out," Marko replied simply. Rosalie's eyes went wide. "But don't worry, you'll be alright."

"Oh."

"And I brought you home so you wouldn't pass out like those chicks on the beach."

"Well . . . thank you." Rosalie brought her knees up to her chin, sitting there in the darkness and thinking. "You can come in, you know."

"That's what I was waiting to here," Marko replied, jumping in through the window and looking around at her room. "I know this is bad timing, but you've got a pretty good taste in music."

"Thanks," Rosalie said, standing up and her legs wobbling a little. Marko walked over to her and helped her onto the bed, where she sat with Marko's jacket on her. She let out a soft 'oh' sound and took it off, handing it back to him. He took it and held it on his arm before sitting down at her desk, feet propped up on the desk.

She looked over at Marko after a moment of silence. "How long have you known me?"

"Years," Marko said simply. "More like a few, since I wasn't really there for a lot of them."

"Well . . . I had a dream the other night where I was young again. And I wandered into the cave and met you guys, and you named me Rose. But that's impossible because Mir-" Rosalie stopped mid-sentence, thinking about her. She felt tears prick her eyes and shook her head a little. "My kidnapper. That's what my kidnapper named me."

"You don't know that."

"I'm getting answers about this one way or another," Rosalie finally said, cutting to the chase.

"Good luck convincing David."

"But can't _you_ tell me?"

"Not really, no. I might tell you sometime."

"Why not _now?_"

"You're starting to whine, Rosalie," Marko said with a little eye roll. "Let's change the subject to . . . let's say: your date."

"I am _not_ talking about that with you."

"And why not?"

"I have a feeling you'll either say something like I can't go or that you'll rough up the guy. And I'm not letting either of those happen," she replied, eyebrows furrowed.

"I just wanted to know more about that Alan kid," Marko said coolly. "Besides, I'll only rough him up if he deserves it."

"Don't."

"I didn't say I was."

Rosalie and Marko sat there in the darkness, both thinking about something similar yet different at the same time.

"Who was that girl with you on the boardwalk earlier?" Marko finally asked. Rosalie turned her head to him, eyes wide. She knew that was the boy out of the four of them that she'd seen when she was putting on the dress for her date.

"Stay away from her, okay?" Rosalie said a bit harshly, glaring at Marko.

He raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, staring at her.

"I don't take orders from you." The tone of his voice shook Rosalie to the core, and she managed to cover some of her fear up. But Marko still noticed, and his giant eyes went a little wider. "You're afraid we'll hurt her."

"I know you will. There's something you guys won't tell me, and I know it's big and dangerous."

"Like my-"

"Don't even." Marko got a cheeky grin and Rosalie's cheeks became flushed as she shook her head.

"Okay, whatever. But we're not gonna touch her. Or at least, I won't, unless she gives me a damn reason to. From what I've seen, she's a nice chick."

Rosalie nodded, still a little unsure.

"Alright. Fine . . . her name's Cindy. She's been the only girl here I've made friends with so far," Rosalie explained. "She's nice and funny, and she's the one who introduced me to Alan."

"Alan seems like a dweeb."

"He is _not_ a dweeb."

"Yeah, he is." Rosalie gave a scoff and eye roll as Marko laughed a little. "He dedicates his time to running a comic book store."

_Yeah, and thinking you guys are vampires_, Rosalie thought. Marko shifted a little, his head tilted to the side.

"Well, you don't really know him like I do. He's a nice person."

"If you say so. But if he does something, you know you can tell me, right? I'll take care of him."

"I don't think that'll be necessary." Marko shrugged and stood up, walking over to Rosalie's window.

"It might be." And before Rosalie could say one more thing to Marko, or tell him to use the front door, he stepped out of the window and crawled down the side of the house. He shrugged on his jacket and hopped onto his bike, and then disappeared down the road with Rosalie still watching after him.


	16. Chapter 16

**_"You could be my silver spring, blue-green colors flashin', I would be your only dream." -Fleetwood Mac_**

Silver Springs

_Ring, ring, ring!_

Rosalie flung out a hand from under her thick sheets, feeling around for the phone in her room that she could barely see through her blurred vision. She groaned and felt around until she felt the smooth, curved surface of the telephone and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" she asked, sitting up from the sheets and yawning. Sunlight streamed in through the partially opened window, and the events of last night replayed in Rosalie's mind. She remembered Marko sitting at the desk just hours before. How he'd left after through the window, and how she'd changed and went to bed.

"Oh thank god! I thought you were kidnapped or murdered or something!" Cindy's alert voice said through the phone. "Jesus, where did you go? Alan, Edgar, and I went around the boardwalk asking all these people if they'd seen you, and this one chick said she'd seen you get carried off by one of those boys! It took all of my strength and will to make Alan and Edgar not go looking for you."

"I'm sorry, Cindy. It's just . . . I passed out, and someone took me home," Rosalie said, looking at the time on her clock. It was a little past noon, and she jumped up. "Shit! I have a date today!"

"Uh, yeah! And I still have the dress you're wearing!" Cindy replied. "Do you want to come over and I can help you get ready in a little bit?"

"Sure," Rosalie said. "Where do you live?"

"I live about five streets over in the big blue house. You can't miss it, but just to be sure, you'll see a basketball hoop in the driveway."

"Okay, got it," Rosalie mumbled. She picked at one of her nails.

"I'll see you in a little bit, then." The line went dead and Rosalie put the receiver down, sighing as she stood up from her bed. She wondered why she was allowed to actually sleep in this late. Of course, she didn't mind the extra sleep but it was just something that confused her.

She didn't dress up too much - she put on a pair of shorts and old t-shirt. Then she walked from her room and out of the nearly empty house, with Kevin being the only person still there. He'd been sitting on the couch watching TV when she put on her shoes and left.

Rosalie walked the five streets over until she reached one of the others, which looked similar to the street she lived on. And Cindy was right - her house stuck out against all the other ones, what with its blue siding and back roof. Like she said, there was a basketball hoop in the driveway, along with Kyle outside throwing a basketball in the air from his place on the front lawn.

"Hey," he greeted, watching as Rosalie walked up to the front steps. "I got lucky with that chick last night."

_Unwillingly, I bet_, she thought with utter disgust. _I should beat his ass right now. _

But instead, the door opened and the opportunity was lost. Cindy stood there and pulled Rosalie into a tight hug that wasn't released until thirty seconds later.

"You seriously scared me, dude," she said, opening the door wider for Rosalie to step in. "I thought that something bad had happened."

"No, nothing bad happened, I swear," Rosalie replied.

"Good. Well . . . Alan said he was gonna come over at 3 to get you for your date, so we might as well get you ready," Cindy said with a bright smile.

"What're you doing tonight?" Rosalie asked, taking in the surroundings of the house. It started off in the living room, with stairs in the middle of the wide hallway at the bottom of the house. Behind them there was a kitchen and a few other doors that Rosalie didn't know what held. But she did know, however, when Cindy drug her to one of the rooms off from the kitchen.

Cindy's room was painted dark purple, and posters and news clippings and old Polaroids hung against the walls. Dried flowers were tacked up above the vanity and bed in the room, and a giant Queen poster hung beside the large window.

"I'm going to the boardwalk," Cindy said. "I do that every night. But I hope I'll see that one guy again, you know, the one I saw last night? He had these big eyes that looked so innocent, but also looked like they could turn dark. Intriguing, really."

Rosalie still wasn't sure how to feel about her best friend being attracted to Marko - she was afraid something bad would come of it, but she also knew it wasn't her place to stand in the way of them together. She knew that Marko wouldn't hurt Cindy unless he was given some reason, and even if that did come from Marko, Rosalie believed his sincerity.

"Well, you just might," Rosalie replied. She noticed the bag from last night on the dresser, and Cindy picked it up.

"Go get changed, okay?" Cindy threw the bag over to Rosalie. "Bathroom's right next to my room. I'll let you look at some of my jewelry when you get back."

Rosalie nodded and walked over to the bathroom which was twice as big as the one in her room. It was very roomy and covered with hairsprays, lotions, and perfumes, but she didn't touch any of them as she put on the dress.

When she walked back into Cindy's room, she was lightly touching a curling iron every few seconds as it got warmer.

"What're you planning to do?" Rosalie asked cautiously as she sat down at Cindy's vanity in front of a jewelry box.

"I'm gonna make your hair look wild rock n' roll, that's what I'm going to do." Rosalie didn't protest - she knew Cindy would style her hair however she pleased because she had a way at getting what she wanted.

So as Cindy started to style her hair, she looked over her pieces of jewelry and held them up to her dress. She hesitated for a few seconds, debating on telling Cindy something.

_I probably shouldn't . . . I _really_ shouldn't . . . but they haven't told me not to do anything, and I _know_ Cindy wouldn't tell a damn soul . . __._

"His name's Marko," she finally burst. "That guy on the boardwalk. His name's Marko."

"How do you know that?" Cindy asked with furrowed eyebrows. "Wait . . . oh fuck, Rose, don't tell me you've been talking to them!"

"I have," Rosalie confessed, setting down a string of plastic red beads. "Cindy, if I tell you this, you cannot tell another soul. Not even the Frog brothers."

"Alright. Tell me."

"Apparently they knew me before I was taken away, and that's why they've been pursuing me like the Frog's said."

"Are they vampires?" Rosalie looked back at Cindy. "Okay, sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"I think they're just bad boys, honestly. But yeah . . . the one you saw on the boardwalk is Marko."

"Well . . . he's attractive," Cindy mumbled, finishing the last curl on Rosalie's head and then running her fingers through them. Her hair started to grow in volume in a mass of wild curls, some of it pulled to the other side.

"I think that you should wait for him to talk to you. Make yourself seem untouchable, you know? So he knows you don't just go for anyone, and they have to work for a place in your heart," Rosalie said. "But that's just me. You do what you want."

"I think I'll follow your advice because all of the things you've given me advice on so far has proved to be good." Rosalie held up a choker with fake pearls on it.

"Well, I'm glad you think it's good. I like this necklace."

"I barely wear it, honestly," Cindy said, taking it gently from her hands and clipping it around Rosalie's neck for her. "It looks nice with that dress."

"Alright." There was a knock at the front door and Cindy's eyes lit up and she smiled.

"I think your date's here!" she said. "Okay, wait here and I'll let him in!"

She nodded and Cindy left the room, leaving her alone. And while Rosalie was left alone with her thoughts, her eyes on her reflection, she imagined what Cindy and Marko would look like together.

_I don't think they'd be that bad together_, she thought._ He_ is_ pretty lovable, and she is, too. Maybe they'd be good for each other._


	17. Chapter 17

_"You know that sometimes, it feels like it's all moving way too fast." -Pat Benetar_

Shadows of the Night

"So . . . uh . . . where're we gonna go?" Rosalie asked as she and Alan walked silently down the sidewalk towards the boardwalk. The sun was still high in the sky, and Rosalie was thankful it was still up to leave her some privacy with Alan. When he heard her question, he gave a little shrug and looked over at her.

"It's a little later into our . . . date, so first we're going to get something to eat," Alan replied. Rosalie gave a little nod and they continued in a little silence, and she was left with her thoughts.

_What if he tries something on me? Where are we even going? C'mon, I really want to know!_ She thought to herself, letting out a little sigh. God, this is so awkward.

They walked on in silence, Rosalie's back a little stiff from how nervous she was feeling. Alan looked a little nervous himself, but Rosalie didn't question why he looked that way because . . . well, why should she judge him on how _he_ feels when she more than likely felt the same way?

"So, do you read any comics?" Alan asked as they turned the corner, the boardwalk coming into view. "I know you haven't read the one we gave you, but do you read any others?"

"Laddie does," Rosalie said a little too quickly. "He told me he likes going to see you guys at the comic store."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. He said he plans on reading the _'Vampires Everywhere!'_ comic you gave me after he finishes the one he's reading right now. Speaking of that comic . . . is it supposed to be your theories on vampires?"

"Yes. Vampires are real, and they're everywhere. Me and my brother are dedicated to fighting these things, and that's why we would like you to stay away from the Lost Boys."

"Why, because you _think_ they're vampires?" Rosalie responded, adding emphasis on 'think' to get her point across. Alan glanced over at her.

"They're only around at night. They make people fear them. Have you seen them at churches? No."

"No one goes to church at night except for drunks, druggies, and old people."

". . . Not the point. And besides, all of these people disappear under suspicious conditions and I think it's because of them."

"Alan, there's a difference between seeing and believing."

"Yes, I know, but Rose . . . they're vampires. They've got to be vampires."

"Maybe they're like normal teenage boys who stay up late every night and sleep all day. People fear bad boys. And have you ever seen teenagers go to church willingly? I don't think so. Besides, you can't blame them for people that go missing under suspicious conditions. You don't know if they've done anything of the sort until there's proof, and quite frankly, I don't see any."

"Why're you defending them?" Alan asked. Not angrily - it was more confused.

"I . . . I don't know," Rosalie said, furrowing her eyebrows. "I haven't even talked to them."

She felt bad for lying to Alan, of course, but what choice did she have? If he knew Rosalie was in communication with the Lost Boys, he would use her to get the information he wanted on them. And if -_ if_ \- they turned out to be vampires, then he'd kill them. And really . . . Rosalie didn't want that. She still wanted to know about her past, and how the boys knew her.

"Then you shouldn't defend them. You're almost talking as if they're your brothers."

"I know, I know. Let's talk about something else." They reached the boardwalk and entered, and Alan looked over the crowd.

"Alright. Here . . . so we don't lose each other." Alan held out a hand and Rosalie hesitated before taking it. His skin was warm and his palm was sweaty, as if he sweated wen he was nervous.

_Poor guy_, Rosalie thought. _He shouldn't be_ that_ nervous around me. _

"So we're going to this place which isn't that far," Alan said, nodding down the boardwalk as they marched on, past people and past the surfer nazis. "And then after, I'm gonna take you over to this record store, and when it gets to be nighttime, I have something I think you'll like."

"Sounds like a good plan," Rosalie responded with a small smile. She only hoped she didn't run into any of the boys when she was with Alan. "So, can I know what this thing I'll like is?"

"Well, you could, but it might ruin the surprise."

_I really want to know, but I like surprises . . . Hold out or get the answer know? Satisfied now or later? Damnit, which one?_

"Okay, can I have a hint?" Rosalie asked, coming to a conclusion of just receiving hints that she could use to figure out on her own. Alan sighed a little with a tilt of the lips, shrugging his shoulders a little. Rosalie gave his hand a little squeeze and he shifted a little, a red flush tinting his cheeks.

"It's on the beach," he said.

_Hopefully we don't run into my brother. God knows what Amy would do if she knew I was already going on dates. My god, I barely know that woman . . . Maybe I could at least try to reach out, you know, since she_ is_ technically the woman who gave me life . . . maybe . . ._

"Is it swimming? Because I didn't bring a swimsuit, Alan," Rosalie replied, giving him a skeptical look. He gave a little laugh and shake of the head.

"No, it's not that. It's something else that I think you'll enjoy."

"Okay, I believe you. I'm counting on you, Alan." He gave a little nod and the two reached a little restaurant, and Alan held the door open for her.

In all honesty, Rosalie didn't think too much about the impact her words might have on Alan. She didn't know that they'd someday leave a mark on him. But most of all . . . Rosalie didn't know those words meant something more to Alan, and something that had to do with the boys.


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey guys! I just thought I'd leave a side note and thank you guys for all the _amazing_ comments I've been reading! I didn't think anyone would really like this story, but it turns out I was wrong and I'm glad. So yeah, thanks for the awesome comments and I can't wait to keep writing for you guys!**

**-MarsWithMick**

* * *

_"I guess, you're just what I needed_  
_I needed someone to bleed." -The Cars_

Just What I Needed

Alan and Rosalie ate out at a little restaurant on the boardwalk, and most of it was actually spent with petty arguments - mostly arguments on whether the Lost Boys were vampires or not. Alan would _not_ let go of the idea, annoying Rosalie, and it only made her want to shove Alan into the ocean even more.

He did make valid points, though - they never came out during the day. Ever, according to Alan. Plus, there was the fact that so many people had gone missing around Santa Carla, all under mysterious circumstances. But Rosalie couldn't bring herself to believe that vampires, actual _vampires_, were lurking closer than she thought. She couldn't grasp the idea of actual, real vampires living in Santa Carla. As much as she wanted to, she just . . . _couldn't_.

"I need to make a quick stop at the comic book store," Alan announced as they walked. "Is that okay?"

Rosalie gave a small nod and walked over to the boardwalk railing, looking over the ocean and the small amount of sun that was still peeking up from the skyline. It danced across her face, making her eyes look like bright blue diamonds, and that was perhaps what caught Alan's attention when he glanced back at her before walking into the store.

She waited, head resting against the palm of her hand. She wondered what Alan had planned, and wondered if it would end up being something good - something she would enjoy. But Rosalie had a feeling that whatever he had planned was sure to impress her. She just . . . _knew_.

_Someone's gotta crush, huh?_

Rosalie didn't even give a small flinch - she recognized that voice anywhere by now, and she recognized it as Paul's. Her friendship with Paul was . . . well, in simpler terms, their friendship was the kind that is pretty rare between boys and girls. Some awkward flirting that isn't meant to go further or harm anyone, awkward humor, and just a small mutual trust. Rosalie could tell she knew Paul from somewhere by how comfortable she'd grown around him and the others, but she wouldn't know until someone actually told her what she wished to know.

Boredom got to her, and Rosalie furrowed her eyebrows at a sudden thought - Paul could talk to her in her mind. She knew because, after glancing around, she knew that Paul was nowhere in sight. But how could he? How could he talk to her just through the mind, without spoken words?

_Voo-doo, sugar. _

Rosalie gave a little eye roll and shake of the head. She knew that some people could talk with their minds - like in the movie _The Shining_. _Wait, does this mean I'm either going to get murdered or go insane?_

_You have an interesting logic._

Rosalie sighed and focused on the ocean in front of her, tilting her head down a little.

_How can you talk to me in my mind?_ she thought.

_Oh, you're finally responding._

She gave a little scoff. Yeah, I guess I am. And I don't have a crush on Alan, thank you very much.

_That's what everyone says when they like someone, girl. _Everyone_ knows that. _

_Well, I don't. He's nice, but he's not my type, I guess. He's a little superstitious and lost in his . . . "work", I want to call it? All he talked about was the same thing the whole time we ate and why am I telling you this. _

She didn't hear anything else in her mind, but she suspected he ended the conversation. She gave a little sigh and waited awhile longer before Alan walked out, walking over to Rosalie just as the sky became night.

"Ready?" he asked. Rosalie nodded and Alan hesitated before taking her hand, which started to grow sweaty from nerves. His did, too, but Rosalie didn't say anything, nor did he. They only kept walking down the boardwalk until they reached what looked like a crowd of mixed people of different sizes and ages. There were smaller kids, older adults, teenagers, really, every type of person was standing in the area they reached.

"Where are we?" Rosalie asked as Alan weaved carefully through the crowd, leading them to what looked like the very edge of the crowd. Rosalie gave an audible gasp and saw a stage with instruments already set up on them, being tested by what looked like stagehands. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Cindy said you had a Cars poster," Alan replied a little sheepishly. "They're playing here tonight."

"Wow!" Rosalie said on a partial gasp, a smile on her lips as excitement welled in her chest. "I can't believe I'm going to see The Cars!"

"So . . . I did a good job with figuring out what we would do?"

"You did an_ excellent_ job." Alan gave a little smile and they stood, waiting, for another twenty minutes before the band came onstage. The night sky was bright with stars and the moon, a few clouds lingering in the sky.

Rosalie couldn't help but smile as she swayed and moved to the music with the crowd, singing along to the lyrics with Benjamin Orr, the lead singer. She felt the smallest of chills, too, when she'd meet the band member's eyes and watch as they saw her singing every lyric correctly. Alan was simply watching, barely moving at all.

All around him, people were either dancing, singing along, or making out with someone else. Some people were doing all three, even. So, Rosalie grabbed Alan by the wrists and started to make him dance with her to _Just What I Needed_ when the song came on. He looked skeptical, but he eventually let loose and danced with her to the song.

Then . . . Rosalie's favorite song was played. And she completely stopped, her gaze locked right on the band in a lost-yet-found stare. She couldn't believe she was hearing her favorite song live, nor the fact that she was seeing one of her favorite bands live right there on the beach with one of the friends she had made. She couldn't believe anything in that moment, anything but that song.

And she started to sway to the lyrics. She sang them softly to herself, arms hugging her elbows as a content smile overcame her face, the song taking over her being. When Rosalie felt someone staring at her, she drug her eyes away to look at the boys standing on the edge of the crowd, all watching both her and the band at the same time.

David was standing, arm crossed, with an expressionless face - Paul's hands were on his hips as he smirked at Rosalie - Marko was biting his thumb nail, watching the band - and Dwayne had his arms at his sides, his eyes trailing on Rosalie as she kept swaying. She stopped altogether when she met Dwayne's eyes, and the music was all she could hear.

It was as if the song was trying to communicate something to her, like it was playing for some reason. She kept staring into Dwayne's eyes, completely lost, and she couldn't bring herself to stop.

Then her heart sped up. Her hands became sweaty again. And she knew in that moment . . .

. . . There was something between them.

_Who's gonna come around when you break?_


	19. Chapter 19

**_"Voices are calling from inside my head, I can hear them, I can hear them, vanishing memories of things that were said, they can't try to hurt me now." -Ozzy Osbourne_**

Shot In The Dark

Rosalie couldn't stop thinking about Dwayne, and the look they had shared the previous night. She couldn't stop thinking about, how when she got home and sat down at the vanity to brush her hair, she swore she'd seen Dwayne standing outside and leaning against his motorcycle. And she couldn't stop thinking about how Alan would react if he knew that she was highly interested in one of The Lost Boys.

No matter what Rosalie did the next day, and into the next night, she couldn't stop thinking about those hawk eyes. She kept seeing the way his jacket fell onto his shoulders, nearly molded to them, and the way he observed rather than voice his opinions, and the way he'd acted around Laddie. Something about Dwayne impressed her, and she didn't know what it was.

The next night, Rosalie decided to go to the boardwalk and see if she could find Dwayne. At first, there was no sign of the mysterious man, but once the night sky got dark, and the stars came out to cover the world, Rosalie could hear the familiar sound of four motorcycles being ridden down the boardwalk. Rosalie didn't look over, nor did she wave them over, but instead, a grin plastered itself onto her face.

Her hands were gripping the railing tightly, her eyes focused on the ocean in front of her. She acted as if she couldn't hear them – her way of making people approach her so she wouldn't have to get embarrassed – and watched the ocean, sometimes glancing around at the wild teenagers partying on the beach. She even saw her brother's party group dancing around a fire and guzzling down all the booze they could.

_I can see you, girl_, she heard the familiar voice in her head. _Why ain't you lookin' this way?_

_I'm not your slave._ Rosalie paused for a moment.

_We can all tell you're here for us, Rose._ This voice was David's, she knew, and her knuckles – if possible – turned even more white from the grip on the railing.

Still, she refused to turn, and only did when she felt the presence of the four behind her. Dwayne was standing the closest to her – not that she was complaining – and Paul was on her right. He automatically slung an arm around her shoulders, and if at all possible Dwayne's glare seemed more intense than before.

"How was the date with the little pretty boy?" Marko asked, sending her one of his signature smiles.

"He's not a pretty boy, thank you very much," Rosalie replied with an eye roll. "He's just . . . different, is all."

"Differently obsessed."

"I don't want to hear it."

"Why are you here, girl?" Paul asked, staring down at her. "I know for a fact you're here for a reason. It's not to have sex with all of us, is it?"

"You're such a perv," Rosalie said, shoving his arm off of her. In reality, she didn't know why she was there, waiting for them. She was there because . . . because . . .

"You don't know." Dwayne kept his eyes focused, and didn't faze even when Rosalie looked over at the otherwise quiet man.

"I'm here because . . . because . . ."

"You just can't resist us," Paul said with a triumphant smirk, one hand going on her waist this time. If Rosalie had seen Alan watching with Cindy from the distance, the distance being the comic book store, she would have shoved Paul off of her. But she didn't because she knew Paul didn't mean any harm towards her with the gesture.

And part of what Paul had said _was_ true. She couldn't stop herself from being around them so much because they knew so much about her that she didn't even know about herself. Plus, she was drawn to that quiet man with the dark hair.

"I just want to know more about . . . me," Rosalie said. "You know things and I want to know them."

"And what makes you think I'll tell them because you would like that from me?" David asked, head tilted slightly as he looked at Rosalie as if she was dumb. "You really cannot believe I'll do what you tell me."

"I know you won't, that's what makes me want the answers even more." David smirked a little, staring her down before holding out a hand, and he said the words every girl secretly desired to hear.

"Wanna go for the ride of your life?" Rosalie glanced around at all the people walking past, even at the faces that would cower in fear.

Rosalie didn't say anything, and just stared at his hand for a long while. Then, she slowly slid her hand into his and his smirk grew in size as he led the way to his motorcycle. The crowd pushing in the opposite direction thinned out immediately as the two passed, and the stares were inevitable.

They reached his bike and David hopped on, releasing Rosalie's hand as he did so before turning to look over at her once again, as if asking for the final time if this was what she really wanted to do, to be daring.

Rosalie was too far in to give up now, and as David held out a hand once again to help her onto the motorcycle she took it. She noticed that Paul, Marko, and Dwayne lingered in the background, all watching with smirks and stares as David started up his bike.

The whole time, though, Rosalie kept her eyes trailed on Dwayne. She stared at him, and he stared back, and there was a mutual understanding between them.

The connection was only broken when David took off, and Rosalie lost sight of him in the crowd of people.


	20. Chapter 20

**_"I'm like a laser 6-streamin' razor, I got a mouth like an alligator, I want it louder, More power, I'm gonna rock ya till it strikes the hour. . ." -Quiet Riot_**

Metal Health 

As soon as David took off on his motorbike, Rosalie wrapped her arms around his torso and refused to be afraid - no, she wasn't going to furrow her face in the back of his long black trench-coat; no, she wasn't going to scream in fear; and no, she refused to give him the pleasure of having her admit that she _was_ afraid.

"You're very determined to show you're not afraid, Rosalie," David said over the rush of air passing the both of them. "I'll change that."

Rosalie shook her head with a slight eye roll and leaned her head back a little, staring up at the stars that filled the sky.

_It feels like a lifetime since I've last seen these_, she thought. The wind blew her hair all around her face, making it fly back as David drove quickly on a back-road out of town.

The wind, however, began to blow her hair even more as they moved faster and faster; Rosalie's grip tightened a little and David smirked, then suddenly reached around for the brake. The tires squealed and Rosalie let out a surprised gasp as they started to slide sideways a little, the tires of the motorbike stirring the dirt in a big cloud of brown.

Of course, David was still in control and managed to bring himself out of the skid, and drove fast once more as if nothing had happened.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" Rosalie asked, although she felt like she was close to freaking out and hugging David as tight as she could.

"No," David responded. "But _this_ is."

He sped up even faster - if at all possible - and took the motorbike on one wheel, driving a minimum of 100 feet on that one wheel as Rosalie screamed and held onto David's torso to avoid falling off. David let out that famous sadistic chuckle, turning his head to look over his shoulder at Rosalie.

"It's only a ride."

"You don't have to make it so fearful!" Rosalie still hadn't loosened her grip on David, even as he started to slow down once they reached a sandy area outside of town that was circled by trees. He skidded to a stop - on purpose - and Rosalie heaved out a great, loud sigh as David shut off the motorbike.

"I will admit," she said shakily, standing up and getting off of the bike, "_That_ was the ride of my life."

David smirked and began walking up a small hill of the sandy area, and Rosalie had no choice but to follow. Follow, or get left alone beside the motorbike.

"Alan Frog." David spun around quickly, turning to look Rosalie in the eye. She stumbled back a little, surprised by the sudden movement but redeemed herself. "Tell me . . . what is it about him that you like."

"Why does that matter? That doesn't even seem like something you'd want to know," Rosalie replied.

"Oh, but here's the thing: you barely know me." Rosalie stopped and furrowed her eyebrows, subconsciously biting one of her nails.

It was true; she barely knew David at all. She knew what he was like, and how he reacted to some things, but she didn't know much of anything about _him_. Who his parents were, his family, his interests, she didn't know any of that, even when David seemed to know everything about her.

"Well," Rosalie began, "Then tell me something about yourself. Something you like that no one else might expect."

"And why should I tell you that, Rose?" David asked, looking at her.

"You said I barely knew you. That was your way of inviting me of getting to know you, if I'm correct."

"And if you're wrong?"

"Then I'd still be right, because you gained my interest by saying I barely knew anything about you. So therefore, I'd have to be able to get to know you to prove you wrong. And I know _you_ like a challenge, and like to _be_ challenged, so my challenge would be to get to know you." David merely stared at Rosalie for a few seconds, and then let out a deep chuckle.

"I knew there was something different about you," he said, shaking his head a little. "Your intelligence and logic. That will end up saving your life one day."

David pulled out a cigarette cartridge from his jacket, along with a lighter.

"Well . . . thank you. For calling me intelligent." Rosalie cracked a small smile, and then placed her eyes on David once again. "Well? Can I know this one thing?"

"Maybe."

"I won't tell. One thing you probably already know about me: I'm very loyal, and very secretive. That's also good to have in your life." David pulled out a cigarette and lit it, then held one out to Rosalie. She shook her head a little, and he rolled his eyes before putting the pack and the lighter away.

"I've read every single one of Edgar Allan Poe's poems and stories," David said. "I enjoy his work."

Rosalie was surprised; David didn't really seem like the type to enjoy literature, and he seemed more interested in all the perks of living life fast and full. Rosalie was also surprised that they _did_ have something in common.

"You really do?" Rosalie asked as David leaned against a tree on the top of the hill. Rosalie climbed up onto one of the branches, David watching her as she sat down. "I find that surprising because I enjoy his work, too."

"I only like him because Dwayne told me to read one of his stories," David said, taking a puff of his cigarette. "'The Tell-Tale Heart'. I read that story and I loved the violence, the insanity. Of course I didn't know what the hell he was talking about at first, but I did after a few minutes."

Rosalie let out a small laugh, the first laugh she'd ever let out with David.

"I read one of his poems first - _Annabel Lee._ It was so entrancing, and romantic, and . . . I became interested to see what else he'd done."

David gave a slight nod and blew out a little puff of smoke, then turned to look at Rosalie.

"So. Alan Frog?" Rosalie let out a small sigh and looked up at the stars again.

"I don't know. I like him, but he's just - he's stuck in this fantasy world and - I don't know, it's really dumb. He thinks you and the others are vampires. Isn't that unrealistic?" Rosalie asked. David raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

"And what would be your reasoning for it being unrealistic?"

"I - I . . . well . . ." And Rosalie went blank. "I guess it's just - well . . . movies and stuff . . . they're movie characters. They aren't real." David stomped out his cigarette and then pulled out a flask. He took a gulp from it, gave a small shudder, and then looked back up at Rosalie.

"Well, we'll see. And what about Dwayne?" Rosalie looked away, a blush on her cheeks. "Don't think I haven't noticed the eye-sex going on."

"It's not eye-sex!" Rosalie exclaimed. "Besides, I barely know him. But . . . there's just . . . something."

"Something?"

"Something that attracts me to him," she finally admitted. "It's hypnotic, and it irritates me because I don't know what to do about it."

"That's all I needed to hear." He closed the flask, then tucked it into his pocket again with a huff. "You'll know soon more about what happened in your past. But for now . . . there's something you need to know."

"What would that be?" Rosalie asked with curiosity. David looked around him, then turned back to look up at Rosalie.

"We're on Lover's Peak." Rosalie was tempted to fake vomiting. "Plenty of couples out tonight. Follow me."

Rosalie jumped down from the tree and walked beside David before he stopped abruptly.

"Don't run away, either," he said, looking at her. "You can't run. You can't tell anyone about what's going to happen."

And the curiosity was replaced by fear, but Rosalie followed David away, wondering what could possibly be in store for her.


	21. Chapter 21

**_"Let's swim to the moon, let's climb through the tide, you reach your hand to hold me, but I can't be your guide . . ." -The Doors_**

Moonlight Drive

It was located on a cliff overlooking the sea - it was shaped like half an oval, with rocks falling from the edge and the ocean waves crashing up onto the shore around it. During the day, there was the occasional boy or girl exploring the cliff or looking at the sea. But overall, hardly any children were ever allowed near the cliff because of the multiple accidents that had occurred there. Some children had fallen off of the cliff and fallen to their deaths, fallen into the ocean and the bodies were hardly ever found.

But at night, there were always cars parked up there, the windows fogged up with hot breath. It was declared a place for lovers to be, to escape from the real world with a view.

David pulled Rosalie along as they made their way toward the cliff, and she pulled her jacket around her arms to keep the cool air from freezing her.

"What are you going to show me?" Rosalie asked, furrowing her eyebrows. "Is something the matter?"

"I told you, I was going to tell you something. Just remember: no running, or bad things will come to you." Rosalie gulped and David smirked.

They passed lines of cars, David knocking on the trunks of each one they passed. The knot in Rosalie's stomach grew more and more as they walked on, past all the cars.

"Are . . . Are you going to . . ." David whipped around, and he whipped around so quickly that Rosalie nearly fell back. If not for the grip David put on her arms, she would have fallen onto her bottom. He glared down at her with such coldness that she was forced to flinch away.

"I don't do that," was all he said, and then turned around as if nothing happened. Rosalie felt a little relieved by that statement, and for some reason she could tell David wasn't lying.

David might have been an asshole, but that didn't mean he was that sick and twisted. Rosalie knew that, but she couldn't help herself from asking. She was never too sure.

"Is there any specific place we're heading to?" Rosalie asked after a moment of silence, watching as the line of cars started to thin out until there were hardly any.

"As a matter of fact, yes." He turned his head slightly to look at her, then turned back as they continued walking until they reached a red car separated from the others.

There wasn't anything different about the car from the others - it was the same model of at least five others there, it had fogged windows, and there were apparent giggles from a girl lingering in the air from the couple inside.

"Wait here," David said, and walked ahead of her. Rosalie stayed behind with her arms crossed, watching as David walked up to the car and scratched the trunk. She furrowed her eyebrows, watching as the giggling stopped and a young teenage Surfer-Nazi got out of the car.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he yelled, walking straight up to David. Rosalie's arms went slack at her sides as she watched David's face shift and change, his eyebrow bones becoming bigger, sharp fangs growing, and his eyes going yellow with red around the rims. Rosalie felt her heart nearly stop and she stared at him, her breathing ragged and heavy.

A million thoughts ran through her head, but the main one was:

_They were right._

The Surfer-Nazi's eyes went large and David lunged at him suddenly, biting right into the lipstick-covered skin of his neck. The boy let out a strangled noise and blood splurted into the air, landing on David's coat and onto the ground.

"_David, stop!_" Rosalie yelled, coming to her senses while watching him drain the boy of all of his blood. "Please . . . no, this isn't happening, this isn't happening!"

The other car door opened and Rosalie's heart sank as the boy's girlfriend jumped out, screaming as David dropped the dead Surfer-Nazi to the ground. He instantly quieted the girl down by draining her from the chest, right where the strap of her shirt was falling down. She gasped and gripped onto the back of David's jacket, and then her hands went slack and she fell to the ground in a bloody heap next to the other boy.

David then turned to Rosalie, his face shifting back into its normal shape and his eyes that chilling shade of blue once again. Rosalie stared right at him, her face going white and her eyes wide with fear.

"Stay away from me," she whispered, taking a few steps back as she caught sight of the blood dripping down his chin. "Don't come any closer."

"Rosalie."

"No!" She held out a hand to prevent him from coming any closer and David stopped, staring at her.

"I would have killed you by now if I was going to drink your blood," David said coolly, watching Rosalie with his intense eyes. Her lower lip trembled and she shook her head, looking at him.

"You . . . They were right."

"They don't seem so superstitious now, do they?"

"This isn't a joke!" Rosalie said, tears pricking her eyes as she shook her head. "God, this is _murder!_"

"I call it surviving, Rosalie." She shook her head again, shooting him an unbelieving look.

"I just want to go home. Take me home."

"I don't appreciate your tone." She stared at him.

"_Please_." David shrugged and led the way back to his motorbike, past all the cars with the unsuspecting teenagers lingering within.

She got onto his bike and David did, too, then started it and they took off. Rosalie was silent the whole ride, lost in her own thoughts as she pieced everything together.

How they always knew what she was thinking. Why everyone feared them. Why they were never seen during the day. How she could talk to them through her mind. It all made sense.

David drove them back into town, and dropped her off in front of her house.

"See you tomorrow night."

Rosalie didn't respond; instead, she went into the house quickly and silently, with her mind still dazed and frightened at what she'd witnessed.


	22. Chapter 22

**_"One too many times I twisted the gate, when I was crazy I thought you were great, I kept my renditions of you on the wall, where holiday romance is nothing at all . . ." -The Cars_**

It's All I Can Do

Rosalie didn't go to the boardwalk the next night. Or the night after, or the night after that. She couldn't bear to go near the boardwalk after what she'd seen, and instead spent her nights at home with her mom and dad. She still couldn't find the words to call them mom and dad, but at least she got to know them a little better when she was there with them.

She learned her dad was a big fan of soccer, and her mother had quite the eye for fashion. She also learned that her dad was quite into literature, some of the same books she'd read, and her mother liked to paint in her free time. Laddie also came into her room with her every once in awhile, usually asking if they could go to the comic book store. But each time, Rosalie declined.

"Rosalie?" her mother asked, coming to her door on a Tuesday afternoon and knocking lightly on the surface. "Rosalie, you have some friends over."

"Who?" Rosalie asked, looking up from her sketchbook.

"Well . . . I don't know their names, but I know Cindy's." She let out a soft laugh, and Rosalie nodded.

"Oh, okay." Her mother closed the door and walked away, and a few seconds later Cindy barged into the room.

"Where have you been? What were you doing with that one creepy blond guy the other night? What happened? Did he hurt you? Why haven't you been on the boardwalk?" Question after question came as Cindy sat down in front of Rosalie, holding her by the shoulders. "Where. Have. You. Been?"

Rosalie shook her head a little, looking back down at her sketchbook.

"I . . . I can't go back to the boardwalk." She closed the sketchbook suddenly and looked back up as Alan and Edgar walked into the room. "I just . . . I can't."

"But why?" Edgar asked.

"Reasons." She knew she couldn't tell them David was a vampire; she just . . . couldn't bring herself to do that. She could tell that the rest of the boys were vampires, too, and she'd decided that when she was taking a shower after she'd gotten home from the ride with David.

"Okay, then answer me this: why in the hell did you get on that bike with the vampire?" Cindy asked, standing up with her hands on her lips. Rosalie looked up at her.

"I don't know, honestly. I just did." She felt bad lying to her closest friend, but she just felt like she needed to keep Cindy from knowing what had happened, especially when the Frog brothers were in the room.

Cindy sighed and shook her head.

"Come on, I want to hang out with you," Cindy said. She turned to the boys. "You guys can go back to the store, if you want. Thanks for coming with me."

"And why can't we come along, huh?" Alan asked, looking at the two girls as Rosalie grabbed her bag. "Is that not allowed?"

"It's a girl thing you wouldn't understand."

The boys both shared a look and then rolled their eyes, and followed the girls out of the house.

"Nice house," Edgar said as they stepped outside.

"Yeah," Rosalie mumbled. "I guess I'll see you guys later. I might be on the boardwalk tonight. Might."

"I hope you are," Edgar said, and looked at her for a second before they walked in the other direction towards the boardwalk.

"So, what do you want to do?" Cindy asked, turning to Rosalie. Rosalie thought for a few minutes, looking down at her old shoes before she finally thought of what she wanted to do.

"Wait here." Rosalie jumped off of the porch and walked into the garage as Cindy watched with confusion. Rosalie had been in the garage once or twice before, but she could remember seeing cans of spray paint on a shelf near a metal cabinet in there. She grabbed the first two colors she saw - red and black - and shoved them into her bag before walking back out. "Okay, let's go outside of town."

". . . Why?"

"I have something I want to do." Cindy's eyes filled with worry, but she didn't question Rosalie as they walked down the street.

"So, you know that one guy I told you I saw the other night?" Cindy asked. "The blond?"

Rosalie didn't forget.

"Yeah?"

"Well . . . he came up to me last night. When I was working at the pizza place." A flush of red came over her cheeks and she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"Really?" Rosalie said, interest perked. "What'd he say?"

"Well, he placed an order, but when I said it'd be done in thirty minutes he said he'd just stay there and talk to me. We talked about music and stuff, and birds. I don't really know why birds, but . . . yeah. And I think he's really cool. His name's Marko, but you probably already know that." Rosalie looked up. "Rose, I saw you hanging out with them the other night. At first, I thought they were trouble and I was pretty mad, but . . . after I talked to Marko, I really see why you like to hang out with them."

Rosalie smiled slightly, but it vanished when she imagined Marko sucking Cindy's blood.

"So," Rosalie said, clearing her throat loudly, "You like him, then?"

"I do." Her cheeks went even more red.

"Maybe I can talk to him for you."

"No, don't!"

"Why not? He likes you, too. I can tell."

". . . Really? You think so?" Cindy looked so hopeful that it made Rosalie feel a little bad.

"I do, honestly. You guys would be cute." Cindy shook her head and kicked a small pebble as they walked on, reaching the dirt path that led out of the town.

"Maybe. I mean, why would a guy like him ever go for a girl like me . . ."

"Hey, Cindy, stop that. You're a great girl, and you're smart, and beautiful, and all these wonderful things that make you a great person. Sure, you've made mistakes, but so have I. Everyone makes mistakes. I just think that you shouldn't let some mistakes stand in the way of others."

"What do you mean?"

"You're letting what others have labelled you, and what you think of yourself, define you. When, in reality, you're a beautiful girl." Cindy looked down, and I noticed tears falling from her eyes.

"You have no idea how great that makes me feel," she said, sniffling a little. "I'm lucky to have a friend like you."

"And I'm lucky to have you, too." Rosalie stopped right beside the welcoming sign, where she'd first seen the small words on the back of the sign.

"What are you gonna do?" Cindy asked, watching as Rosalie pulled out a bottle of red spray paint. "Rose, that's vandalizing! You can't do that!"

"Sorry," Rosalie said with a shrug, and then began to spray words onto the back of the board as Cindy watched, huffing a little. "Besides, hardly anyone comes out here. We'll be fine."

Cindy looked around her as Rosalie finished writing the words, and outlined them in black so they were better to see.

"There, done," she said, jumping down from the ledge of the sign. "Let's go on the boardwalk now, shall we?"

Rosalie threw the cans into the bushes and started walking away, leaving Cindy to read the words Rosalie has painted onto the back of the sign.

**_MURDER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD._**


	23. Chapter 23

**_"By the time I get back here things have to change, 'cause if they don't there's gonna be a lot of strange lookin' people marchin' round, clappin' their hands, and they won't stop 'til everyone understands . . ." -REO Speedwagon_**

Let Me Ride

"So," Cindy said, slinging an arm over Rosalie's shoulders as they walked down the boardwalk, the sun setting in the distance, "What would you like to do tonight?"

"Well . . ." Rosalie had to stop and think: there wasn't too much she was interested in doing on the boardwalk, mostly because she hadn't even planned to go on it tonight. She still had the large wad of cash her mother had given her, the wad she still felt terrible about accepting, and realized something.

"The first night I was here, I went to this record store on the boardwalk," Rosalie said, stepping out.

_I haven't been there in a while_, she thought. _Man, Carlie would absolutely love - . . . stop._

Rosalie stopped talking and realized she hadn't given a thought to Carlie for a few days. She felt terrible, because she missed Carlie deeply and yet she didn't have the decency to give her a second thought.

"Anyways . . ." Rosalie shook her head a little. "There's a record store and I . . . can we go there?"

"Of course!" Cindy said, her ponytail swinging from side to side as Rosalie led the way to the store. "Can I get your opinion?"

"On?"

"Well . . ." Cindy bit her nail a little. "I was thinking about dying my hair brown."

Rosalie smiled a little.

"Really?" she asked. "I think that'd look really nice!"

"Okay good, I needed a second opinion on it." Cindy sighed in relief and the sun sank below the horizon as they reached the store on the boardwalk. "So, are you gonna look at the records or posters?"

"Well . . . actually . . ."

"Actually . . .?"

Rosalie opened her mouth to reply when she found herself standing in front of the counter, looking at Tom who smiled at her.

"Nice to see you again!" he greeted. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes, actually," Rosalie said hesitantly, "I was wondering if you were hiring."

"_Oh?_" Tom asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well, yes, I am. I'm looking for someone who can work from 3 to closing; let me just get an application for you, and we'll be on our way!"

"Alright." Tom sent her another smile before walking away towards a door in the store. Cindy smiled at Rosalie.

"You want a job?" she asked. Rosalie nodded, and Cindy laughed. "You should've told me! I could have gotten my dad to hire you!"

"You don't have to do that," Rosalie said, smiling a little as she waited for Tom to get back. "Besides, I need an excuse to get out of the house."

"Speaking of them . . . can I know why you don't really feel comfortable around them?" Cindy asked, and then instantly added, "But don't think you have to tell me, okay?"

Rosalie sighed a little; she'd been prepared for the question, and even knew what she was going to say, but now she was blank.

"Well . . . imagine this: you're raised by this woman for most of your life, and you love her, and care about her, and then you're just suddenly told you can't anymore and everything was a lie. And then your life turns upside down, you are forced to leave the past behind and adjust to a completely new life."

". . . I can't imagine that."

"That's why I'm uncomfortable around them," Rosalie said. Tom walked back out and handed Rosalie an application with a pen.

"I'm gonna go look at the records while you do that," Cindy said, wandering off to the records. Rosalie stood near the end of the counter and started to fill out the application, and when she'd gotten a good amount done she heard it.

_Where've you been, girl?_

She knew that was Paul's voice - she could recognize it by now with ease. But she didn't respond.

_Hey, I know you can hear me. I saw you tense._

Rosalie lifted her head a little, took a deep breath, and went back to writing.

_Don't make me eat you._

Her writing grew more rapid.

_Okay, not the right thing to say. But come on, we ain't gonna hurt you. We wouldn't do that, not to you, anyways. So come on, you should hang out with me tonight._

She finished the last question and handed the application to Tom, who smiled.

"I'll give you a call sometime next week," he said. "Have a nice night!"

"You too!" She walked over to Cindy, who was still fingering through the vinyls. Only, Cindy had a deep blush on her cheeks and a big smile as Marko stood beside her, talking and flirting and getting a little closer than was necessary. Rosalie stopped for a moment, glaring harshly at Marko. It was enough to make him look up, which caught Cindy's attention and she looked up with him.

"Oh, Rose!" she said, turning. "I was just talking with Marko. He was saying how me, you, some guy named Paul, and him should go see the band performing on the beach tonight!"

"I'm not going," Rosalie said stiffly, her eyes still set harshly on Marko. "I _refuse_."

Rosalie jumped a little as she felt an arm sling around her shoulder, and Paul stood next to her.

"Of course you don't refuse; you're _my_ date," he said. "C'mon, girl, it'll be fun."

"No," Rosalie said, attempting to shrug off his arm.

"Please?" Cindy asked. "I'll make it up to you if you go!"

Rosalie looked at her with a pleading look, and Cindy sighed softly. Then Rosalie shared the same sigh before crossing her arms.

"Alright, alright, Cindy." Cindy broke out into a wide grin, and so did Paul, as they all left the record store.

"Hey, you guys go ahead," Paul called to Cindy and Marko. "I'm gonna show Rosalie this real cool store down the boardwalk."

"Got it." Marko and Cindy walked away, and with it walked Rosalie's sense of safety. Paul kept his arm tight around her shoulders and walked her off of the boardwalk, towards the beach.

"_If you're trying to-_"

"I'm not." He looked down at her, shook his head a little, and removed his arm as they stopped on the sand in a secluded part of the beach. Rosalie gulped.

"Look, if we didn't want you to know about us, you'd be dead by now." Rosalie pretended not to listen, and Paul got a little angry. "Would you at least look at me?"

"Why should I?" Rosalie snapped. "You can't just expect me to get over this without a problem."

"It's been a_ week_." Rosalie glared at him, and a little flush of red crossed Paul's face.

"That's it. I obviously can't convince you, so I'm having someone else do it. Stay here, or I'll drag you back." And so he walked off, and Rosalie sighed as she looked off at the ocean. She used her shoe to kick around some sand as she waited there, and that's how Dwayne found her, staring off at the ocean and the moon as she waited.

She turned around and saw him standing there, and jumped a little.

"Do you always sneak up on people?" Rosalie asked, sighing with agitation.

"Yes." She shook her head and turned back around, and Dwayne walked over to her.

"How's Laddie?" he asked. Rosalie was taken aback; she'd gotten used to the others trying to convince her to talk to them that she didn't think they'd be interested in her family.

"He's . . . good."

"He's a nice kid."

"Yeah." They stood in silence for a while, both of them listening to the waves of the ocean.

"You should know we won't hurt you, Rosalie." For once, she actually looked up at him without a second thought and looked right into his eyes. She felt a little shudder as she felt him looking deep into her eyes, trying to read every secret she'd ever had.

". . . Put yourself in my shoes," Rosalie said, shaking her head a little. "And you'll understand."

"I have."

"_What?_" Rosalie really was taken aback now, and Dwayne could see that in her eyes.

"I have. But that shouldn't be a reason to block me and the boys out." Rosalie looked down, feeling a little bad. "We aren't gonna hurt you. We'll just tease you a lot."

"Wow, thanks," Rosalie said sarcastically, but she couldn't keep the small laugh out of her voice. She shook her head a little. "I just . . . I can't believe it. I knew you were all different, but vampires? No, that's just . . . _no_."

Dwayne listened, but didn't respond for a while. Rosalie only knew he was still beside her when she looked over and saw him. He only spoke a minute after she said that.

"Come on," he said.

"What?"

"Come on. There's something I want you to see."

"Now the last time someone said that, I saw something that scared the hell out of me."

"You were scared?"

Rosalie crossed her arms and mumbled out, "A little."

"Figured. But this time, it's not life and death. It's something you will like." Rosalie looked at him skeptically, and when he saw her hesitation he put an arm over her shoulders and led her towards the boardwalk. It was different with him than it was with Paul; Dwayne was a little more gentle, and he was more tense as if he wasn't used to physical contact like that.

"Can I at least know what's going to happen?" she asked as they walked down the boardwalk.

"It's a surprise."

"So?"

"It's a surprise, why would I tell you what it is." Rosalie gave him a slight glare, and he just looked at her as they arrived at his motorbike. He got on first, then held out a hand to her. A faint blush rose on her cheeks as she took his hand and got onto the bike, slowly wrapping her arms around Dwayne's torso as he started the bike.

Within seconds they were rushing through the night, past people, on their way to some mystery destination that Rosalie was both terrified and curious to see.


	24. Chapter 24

**_"All alone in a place where the lonely, they all have to walk through the rain, and they dance on the edge where you only, only pray that it has to end . . ." -Bon Jovi_**

The Hardest Part Is The Night

Rosalie held onto Dwayne tightly, looking at the stars above and lost in thought.

_Where are we going? Is he going to kill me?_ She wasn't paying attention and slowly started to lean forward. _Everything makes sense now, though; all the night-time shenanigans, how they know me, how they know exactly what I'm thinking -_

She stopped mid-thought as her cheek pressed against Dwayne's back. He turned his head slightly, looking back at her all while driving.

"You alright?" he asked, his eyes looking at her despite their odd arrangement at the moment.

"I-I'm fine," Rosalie said, lifting her head back up. A blush crossed her cheeks as they turned a corner.

"Just leave your head there." He turned back around before Rosalie could say _'it's okay'_ or '_no, really, I'm fine'_, and she decided to take him up on his offer. She rested her head on his back once again, unsurprised when she didn't hear the familiar hypnotizing rhythm of his heartbeat.

He finally stopped eventually and Rosalie stepped off of his bike, looking around. Her eyes wildly examined the woods in front of her, and Dwayne watched as she did so.

"Where are we?" she asked, taking in the scene in front of her. It was a small lake, hidden away by trees and the small dirt road that Dwayne had taken to arrive there. The trees formed an oval, the leaves rustling gently in the California breeze. Every once in awhile a firefly would go past and light up some of the leaves, along with the wildflowers that grew along the pond and the bottoms of the trees. The moon was bright that night and high up in the sky, illuminating everything in its beautiful glory.

"The woods." Dwayne stepped off of his motorbike and parked it. "I come here sometimes."

"How did you find it?" Rosalie asked, walking near the lake and gazing with desire at the flowers that grew there. She hesitated lowering down to touch one of the petals.

"I just did, a long time ago." Dwayne watched as she leaned down and delicately traced one of the flower's petals, sighing in wonder, before standing back up.

"I'm glad you did. It's absolutely beautiful." Rosalie looked back at Dwayne, who walked a little closer towards her. He was within a few inches of her back, and Rosalie was taken off-guard. "Uh . . . Um . . . why did you bring me here?"

"To talk."

Rosalie didn't ask about what - she already knew.

". . . So in my dream, when I first met you guys, you were going to eat me?"

"But we didn't."

"Why?"

"Paul couldn't do it. He said you were too cute. David doesn't kill kids. And Marko wasn't hungry for blood yet."

"And you?" Rosalie asked, standing up with an eyebrow raised and her head tilted just a little bit.

"There was something about you." He looked over at her, and she furrowed her eyebrows. "There was something . . ."

"What do you mean?" Rosalie asked.

"Nevermind. Anyways . . . maybe there's something you need to know about your past."

_Finally,_ Rosalie thought, internally jumping for joy.

"Really?" she asked, her eyes widening and jumping a little. Dwayne rolled his eyes at her reaction, but his lips tilted up a little.

"Yes. Now listen carefully, because I won't repeat myself again." Rosalie nodded, not realizing she had slowly started to move towards Dwayne.

"We knew Carlie." Rosalie froze, her face dropping as she looked down at the ground and thought about that blonde woman that raised her. The blue-eyed girl whose eyes lit up so brightly when she was happy, that could warm even the darkest of hearts.

"From my thoughts?" Rosalie asked quietly.

"No. But I do hear you thinking about her all the time," Dwayne replied. "I can tell you miss her."

"I really do," Rosalie said with a sigh. "I don't like it with the Caligor family because . . . I just . . ."

"You don't like your parents, and your brother. But Laddie is an exception." Rosalie went quiet for a moment before nodding.

"There's something wrong about them. They seem . . . odd, I guess. They spoil me too much."

"I've never heard anyone say that before." Rosalie let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, I haven't, either." Dwayne let out a small cough, looking over at Rosalie.

"Anyways . . . we knew Carlie since before you were born."

"How, if I may ask?"

". . . Carlie was going to be one of us, but then some things came up and she left. David made her leave, and she took you with her."

"What? Why? How did she know you?" Rosalie asked quickly, eager for answers.

"She left with you because she needed to hide you. You were in danger, and David knew that."

". . . What kind of danger?"

Dwayne opened his mouth to respond, but he didn't say anything for a good few minutes.

"Our danger." Rosalie didn't respond to that, and sat in silence as she tried to process it all. She still didn't have exact answers, but it was better than nothing.

"So . . . how did you know Carlie, since that's the one thing you haven't told me?" Rosalie asked, meeting Dwayne's eyes. She couldn't read anything in his eyes, but she knew that he was hesitant to tell her something.

"Yeah, the thing about that is . . . Carlie was related to David. She was his third cousin."


	25. Chapter 25

**_"Calling Sister Midnight, you've got me reaching for the moon, calling Sister Midnight, you've got me playing the fool . . ." -Iggy Pop_**

Chapter Twenty-Five: Sister Midnight

It was a bright, sunny day, the kind that had only a few clouds floating throughout the sky but otherwise . . . it was just blue. It was the exact kind of day for a good stroll across the beach, or just a walk to the ice cream parlor with the one you love. But some, however, were spending it inside, looking out through the windows instead of staying outside. Some, like Rosalie, were working on that day, standing at the register to help people buying records check out.

Rosalie had gotten the call she was now with a job a few days earlier - she was happy to finally be busy with something, something to distract her from the realities of life. But no matter how hard she worked, no matter how much she talked to the customers . . . she couldn't take her mind off of Carlie. She thought constantly of her now, more than her own mother - she knew Carlie was related to David through blood.

Rosalie still didn't know why she had taken her, however; she did happen to know that the boys had something to do with it, but they failed to tell her anything. She was used to that by now.

"It's such a lovely day, isn't it?" Rosalie jumped and gasped as Cindy stood in front of her. Cindy smiled and Rosalie ran a hand over her face, realizing she had just been zoning out. "Whoa, I didn't mean to scare you. You okay?"

"Yeah . . . fine," she replied. "I'm just tired."

"Oh. Well . . . I just wanted to tell you that Marko asked me out on a date." Although Rosalie wanted to cringe at the thought of the boys and the history she was getting to with them, she didn't. Instead, she smiled even though she didn't want to, and decided to be happy for Cindy.

"That's great! Do you know where he's taking you?" Rosalie asked. "Or is it just one of those things that, you know, just happens?"

"The second." Rosalie nodded, still smiling.

"Well, I'm very happy for you!" Cindy's cheek lit up with a faint blush as she looked down at the ground.

"I'm just really hoping this isn't a dream."

_It's a nightmare for me. _

Rosalie shook her head and smiled once more, taking Cindy by the shoulders and looking her over.

"It's not, I promise." Rosalie went back to her work behind the counter, which was just wiping down the counter with a cloth and keeping an eye on the customers to make sure they didn't steal anything.

"Well, how's your love life been?" Cindy asked, watching Rosalie. "I hope it's been good for you, too."

Rosalie stopped what she was doing, and let out a soft sigh.

"I don't know what to say about it. I really like someone, but . . ."

"But . . .?"

She shook her head, looking down at the counter.

"It wouldn't ever happen."

"And why do you say that?"

"Because, Cindy, I barely know Dwayne." She shut her mouth after that, and Cindy went silent for a few seconds.

"So, you don't like Alan?" she asked quietly.

"I don't. Not that way."

". . . You really like Dwayne?"

"I think I do. At first I had a little crush on Paul, but I really think Dwayne is who I would want to be with." Cindy smiled a little, flipping through one of the music magazines on the counter.  
"I can hook you two up."

"No, don't do that."

"Why?"

"Because . . . just don't. I'll figure it out, okay?"

"You sure?"

"Yes." Rosalie paused for a moment, looking at the clock. "I get off in a few hours - do you want to go out or something afterwards?"

"Sorry, I can't," Cindy said, with a huff, "Dad's making me work the night shift, until midnight. If you're still up by then, we can hang out if you want."

Rosalie nodded, then leaned against the counter.  
"I'll find you if I'm still awake."

"Okay. I'll see you later, Rosalie." Cindy sent her a smile before walking away, and Rosalie went back to cleaning the counter. Her mind, however, was still occupied with other thoughts.

Rosalie walked out of the store, leaving her boss to close up as she tucked her hands in the pockets of her jeans. The night air was warm, the smell of the ocean drifting through it along with the smell of fried food from the boardwalk.

_I see you._

Rosalie sighed, then shook her head lightly as she walked along the railing of the boardwalk, keeping her eyes trailed on the ocean beyond the horizon. She didn't feel like talking to Dwayne - no, not tonight.

_You haven't spoken to me in days._

**Leave me alone.**

She let out a gentle sigh, wondering if she should just go home and lock herself in her closet.

_Don't do that._

**Well, **you** don't do that**.

_Do what?_

**Read my mind - look, it doesn't matter. Just go away**.

She stopped with a sigh by the railing, leaning against it with her eyes entranced by the beauty. Despite the protests she had given earlier, Rosalie wasn't surprised to find Dwayne standing next to her, his hawk eyes trailed on her.

"I don't try to hear your thoughts, Rose." Her chest rose quickly, and her breath was loud as she exhaled. "Talk to me."

"And why should I?" she snapped, her face going red from anger, "Tell me, why should_ I_? Ever since I first got here, all you guys have been doing is leaving me confused, and wondering who I really am! Why should I talk to you when you all refuse to talk to me."

Dwayne went to speak, but Rosalie cut him off as he opened his mouth.

"Shut up. Just shut up! For once, I'm going to be the one doing the talking, and you're going to listen. How do you expect me to react when I learn the woman who raised me as her own is related to the man who showed me who he really was? How the hell do you think I'll act after hearing something like this? Just give it an hour and be alright? If you think that, then you really aren't as smart as I once thought."

Her eyes welled with angry tears, and her jaw set as she glared up at Dwayne.

"Rosalie."

"No." To his surprise - and hers - she extended an arm to hit him on his exposed chest. He didn't move once, but his eyes narrowed as he glared at her.

"Stop. Now." But the problem was that Rosalie found herself unable to stop herself - she couldn't keep her hands still, or her anger held within, and decided rather to take her anger out on Dwayne than out on something else.

She hit him three more times before Dwayne roughly grabbed her wrists, pinning her in place as he looked down at her. She struggled against his chest as his grip tightened, until finally . . . she stopped.

Tears fell down her cheeks and a light sob fell from her mouth, her eyes clenching tightly before leaning on Dwayne for support.

"I'm sorry," she whispered between her quiet sobs, and she felt Dwayne's grip loosen. "I . . . I don't know what happened."

Dwayne didn't say anything, and Rosalie pulled away. He didn't pull her back, and she used her hands to wipe away the fallen tears.

"I've got to go." She turned around to leave, but was surprised when Dwayne reached out to grab hold of one of her wrists. She froze in place with a sigh, her back stiffening. "Let me go. _Please._"

He didn't say anything, and Rosalie scoffed as she turned around.

"Are you just going to-"

She was cut off, but not by his voice. Instead, she found herself pulled towards him until their bodies were pressed closely together, and Dwayne's lips were on hers.


	26. Chapter 26

**_"Give me more than one caress, satisfy this hungriness - let the wind blow through your heart, for wild is the wind . . ." -David Bowie_**

Wild Is The Wind

Rosalie wasn't sure what to do - she found herself standing beside the railing of the boardwalk, eyes wide open as Dwayne had his lips pressed firmly against hers, a hand still gripping her wrist. Her back remained stiff as she stood there, a rush of emotions running through her before she found herself kissing back for just a few seconds. She enjoyed the kiss, the warmth it held, but her mind told her to pull away and remember the anger she had felt just minutes before. She shoved him away, their lips breaking apart as she leaned against the railing. Her breathing was heavy, her hands shaky as she took in deep breaths.

"You-You're just trying to distract me," she breathed out, leaning over the railing as she looked at the beach down below. "I-I know you are."

"I'm not."

"Then I'm leaving." She removed her hands from the railing, shaking her head as more angry tears rushed into her eyes. "Leave me alone."

She turned quickly, stomping down the boardwalk as she tried to collect her thoughts. She didn't get far, however, because she felt Dwayne's presence behind her as she walked.

"Stop following me," she whispered, and kept walking even when she reached the crowd of people on the boardwalk. She could hear his steady footsteps behind her, just feet from her back as she left the boardwalk and came to the darkened parking lot. Rosalie sighed when she realized Dwayne wasn't going anywhere, then turned - she let out a gasp when she saw that, instead of Dwayne, David was behind her with his arms crossed.

"You're a tricky girl, aren't you?" he asked, and she was more than tempted to stomp on his foot. She didn't. "You're angry."

Rosalie let out a dry, tired laugh.

"I thought you'd never guess," she mumbled with a shake of the head, and brought her eyes up to meet his icy ones. "Look, I'm tired, I'm confused, and I need some time to think. So if you could stop following me-"

"Confused? I figured you'd be used to the feeling by now."

"Trust me, I'm more than that." She pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head. "Just . . . why me? What did_ I _ever do to deserve this treatment?"

"Treatment?" he asked, an eyebrow raised as he looked her over with unemotional eyes. Her face began to turn red from her cheeks down, large tears filling her bright eyes as she felt the need to slap him.

"Yes, treatment! I feel like I'm slowly going insane because of the questions I keep having float around my head!" she screamed, turning from him only to feel one of his icy hands yank her back around, a cautious look in his eyes.

"I don't appreciate your tone."

Rosalie became so angry that she couldn't utter out a single word - instead, she remained silent with tears trailing down her face.

"I'm begging you," she said after a long silence, looking to the ground in defeat. "I really am. Just tell me, _please,_ anything. Can you at least tell me why Dwayne kissed me?"

David pieced the words together in his head, eyes emotionless as he began to tug Rosalie in the direction of his motorcycle. And then he gave her an answer - a _real_ answer.

"You're special to him."

"I barely know the guy."

"He knows you." Rosalie was on the verge of believing Dwayne to be a stalker, but David interfered. "You always jump to conclusions - he isn't stalking you. Watching you, yes, but not to the extent of it being creepy."

"Watching me?" She raised an eyebrow before crossing her arms, looking around in confusion.

"He's protective over you, obviously. He wants to make sure no harm comes to you."

"But . . . _why_?" Rosalie felt an array of different emotions as she realized David was telling her the truth - the truth that Dwayne was interested in her.

"When you were a kid, Dwayne was always that way - he was protective. It meant he imprinted on you, but don't you dare tell him I said that."

"Isn't that a werewolf thing?"

"Rosalie, I swear to-" He sent her a warning glare and she sighed, looking down at the ground. "Now tell me, how do you feel about him?"

"I barely talk with him - he's so quiet. But I do seem to like him more than I do Alan." She looked up at him at last, nervous about the gaze she met until she saw his eyes weren't angry.

"I see. Just as Miranda was." Rosalie's eyes went large as she stared at him, jaw dropped slightly. "I knew Miranda."

"I know that, it's just - I don't know. It's still difficult to believe that . . . that you knew her as well as I did."

"I knew her better."

"Okay, okay." Rosalie let out a small sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose, then looked over at David. ". . . I can't believe I'm saying this, but . . ."

David read her mind, taking notice that she wanted to leave the boardwalk in order to clear her mind (which _was_ rather crowded, from what he heard). He walked away from her and swung one leg over his bike, then placed his eyes on the girl in front of him.

"Get on." She smiled slightly before jogging over, hopping onto the back with relief to be leaving the boardwalk.

He started the motorcycle, drawing attention from several people on the boardwalk, before rolling off quickly into the night without either of the two questioning the action.


	27. Chapter 27

_**"So many people have come and gone, their faces fade as the years go by, yet I still recall as I wander on, as clear as the sun in the summer sky . . ." -Boston**_

More Than A Feeling

They were, once again, at Lovers' Peak - David parked just at the edge of the cliff to irritate Rosalie, which he succeeded at doing, before helping her off his motorcycle.

"You _always_ find a way to get on my nerves," Rosalie said with a shake of the head before sitting right on the edge of the cliff. She rested her head on the palm of her hand with a small sigh.

"I enjoy it." David remained standing, looking over the sea below the years of rock that was beneath them. It was a foggy night with the only sound that of trees in the wind and waves crashing along the rocks below.

They were both silent for a few moments, enjoying the calming sounds that the night had to offer.

"I need answers," Rosalie, however, said after those moments were over. "I can't keep living without knowing my own life. I don't want to be confused anymore."

"Oh?"

"I . . . I think I'm ready. I've been thinking about it a lot and I think you guys wouldn't tell me anything about my past because it was too risky." It was all true - for the past several nights, the only thing she had done was rack her brain for possible reasons, trying to find the answer deep within.

"You've developed quite a bit since you left Chicago," David said, scanning her thoughts to see every little detail she _thought _she knew about the truth. He kicked a small pebble over the side of the cliff, watching it disappear into the sea. "I'm quite impressed."

The corner of Rosalie's lips curved upward and she shook her head, looking at her feet dangling loosely over the edge. For some odd reason, she wasn't afraid of the height - it didn't leave her scared, only breathless when she focused hard enough on the rocks below. Plus, she knew that David would be there to catch her.

"Now, you don't know that." Rosalie sent him a glare.

"Stop it with the mind-reading!" She scolded, then crossed her arms. "Besides, I know that you'd stop me if I jumped or fell. You'd pull me back."

"Is that so?"

"Do you want me to test my theory?"

David shrugged and nodded his head towards the cliff, and Rosalie understood the danger she was putting herself in, the danger David was urging her to pursue. She admired the fact that he was testing her, but at the same time . . . didn't want to die if - for some reason - he didn't catch her in time.

She then realized that, if she didn't test the theory, David would torment her with it.

She slowly slid off the edge, locking eyes with David. He remained standing still on the edge of the cliff, even as Rosalie was dangling just mere centimeters from death.  
"Okay, fine, you're right," Rosalie said, shaking her head as she realized being "brave" wasn't worth her life. "But still, I almost slid off and you didn't even-"

She let out a gasp as the rock beneath her gave out, and she began to slide down the cliff to the very edge. She let out a small yelp and reached wildly for something to grab onto, but nothing worked - eventually, she found her legs dangling freely, then the whole lower half of her body. She let out a loud scream as her abdomen slid down next, and clawed for a piece of dirt to hold onto. She eventually found it and held on tightly, breathing ragged as she realized David was nowhere in sight.

"David!" She screamed. "David, where are you?"

_Let go. _

"Are you fucking crazy?"

_Let. Go. _

She desperately tried to crawl her way back to the ground, but it was useless - her arms were too tired. She watched helplessly as her hands slid across the rock, and then met the air as she began to fall from the cliff. She screamed and watched as her life flashed before her eyes, then . . .

She felt herself land with a thud onto something that was too soft to be a rock. She looked up and met the cold blue eyes of David, a smirk deep within their depth. She looked at him in anger.

"You almost let me die!" She screamed.

"Almost." She took a deep breath, then let out a huff that made a chuckle rise in David's throat. She calmed her breathing and then realized that moments before, she had been falling off the cliff.

"Wait, how the hell did - _holy shit!_" She latched onto David's jacket tightly, looking down to see the sharp rocks feet below them. She was shocked to see that David was hovering in place as if it was a casual thing.

"Scared?" She knew better than to tell him she wasn't.

"Yes, I am! Now please, take me back up to real ground so we can talk!" She said, and David obliged - he flew back up to the cliff and stood a few feet from the edge. Rosalie jumped out of his arms.

"You can _fly?_"

"Like _Peter Pan_."

Rosalie shook her head, running her hands through her hair.

"That's enough action for one night," she mumbled, then brought her eyes up to look at him, "Now please . . . I'd like to know more about myself."

David went silent as he leaned against his bike, with a thoughtful look in his eyes. He seemed to be piecing his words together.

"You were only a little girl," he began, and Rosalie looked at him. "You were down by the cave - you'd followed us back there. How you didn't get lost, I don't know. Paul was the first to spot you when you walked in - he thought you were everything a child should be: innocent, happy, everything. Then Dwayne saw you.

"I'm sure that you've heard of imprinting, and if not, it is when one becomes smitten with another from just a glance. That's what happened - Dwayne imprinted on you. At first, we all thought it was as a father-daughter thing - he cared for you. Then you came back to Santa Carla and it developed into something different."

"So you're telling me that Dwayne fell in love? At first sight?" Rosalie asked, raising her eyebrows. "This whole time he's been in love with me?"

"No. Didn't you just listen?"

"Of course I did."

"I said that after you came back here, he fell in love," David said with an eye roll.

"Oh."

"As I was saying, Dwayne cared for you when you were a kid - so did the rest of us. We always snuck you to the cave at night and cared for you, along with my cousin, Carlie. Then some things happened and we had to ask her to take you far away - it was hard, but it had to be done. She promised to tell you everything when you turned 17. I believe that's tomorrow."

"How'd you - nevermind." Rosalie figured that David knew her more than she thought, and decided that she already knew the answer to the question she almost asked.

"Yes, I know your birthday. Ever since you came here, we've kept a close eye on you - we all wanted to make sure you were alright."

Rosalie nodded, relieved to finally know how the boys knew her - relieved to know why Dwayne acted so strange around her. Yet, she still had one question left on her mind: why did she have to leave?

She decided the question could be answered another night; being Rosalie, she figured the answer would be a bad one, one that she wouldn't want to hear. She wasn't quite ready for that.

"He doesn't talk to me that much, you know," Rosalie said, changing the subject onto Dwayne before she thought too hard about the question. "He's quiet."

"He's always been that way. If you start a conversation with him, you'll know him better. Ever think of that?" She rolled her eyes.

"Okay, got it. Now, can you take me home please?"

"Why don't you stay at the cave?" David offered, and Rosalie raised an eyebrow. "You need to talk to Dwayne. He needs to talk to you."

"I know, but-"

"But nothing. Now get on the bike so we can head back."

She obliged.


	28. Chapter 28

_**"My life has been such a whirlwind since I saw you, I've been running round in circles in my mind and it always seems that I'm following you, girl, 'cause you take me to the places that alone I'd never find . . ." -REO Speedwagon**_

Can't Fight This Feeling

When they got to the cave, the first thing Rosalie noticed was the tension hanging in the air - Paul would glance at Rosalie and then look over at Dwayne with raised eyebrows, and Marko sat on the crumbling fountain as he began to break into his habit of biting his nails. His gloves, however, prevented him from doing so.

"Hey girl," Paul said when they first walked in, his eyes still looking between her and Dwayne as she sat down on the fountain next to Marko. "Whatcha doin' here?"

"I was asked to stay for the night," Rosalie replied, and looked down at her lap as soon as she felt the familiar hawk eyes on her. "I didn't exactly have a choice."

Paul nodded and looked as if he was holding back a dirty joke, judging from the smirk that was plastered on his face. Instead of saying it, however, the whole cave was quiet - no one said anything for a long time, and the only noise came from the stereo that Marko had turned on, and Paul had turned up.

"How's Short Man been?" Paul finally asked to break the ice. "Haven't seen him in a while."

"He's been good. My mom enlisted him in a preschool program."

"Interesting."

"And I'm sure you've been . . . busy." Rosalie didn't say with what - she felt that she already knew. Blood? Of course, Paul lived for blood. Sex? . . . In fact, it probably came before the blood did.

Paul smirked as he heard her thoughts and let out a chuckle.

"You know me well." Paul then stood up with a sigh. "Speaking of which, I'm hungry. Marko, come on - let's go scope out some hot chicks on the 'walk."

Marko's cheeky smile came onto his face and he stood up, putting his jacket onto his shoulders before they both left the cave. David looked between Rosalie and Dwayne, his eyes holding no emotion - then he stood up, not removing his eyes from Dwayne.

"I need to go talk with someone. I'll be back before dawn."

Dwayne still didn't respond - he remained quiet as he sat in his chair, elbows propped on the sides and his eyes still focused directly on the girl across the cave. David sent Rosalie a glance before he followed his brothers out, and the cave was filled with an awkward silence - all but the sound of REO Speedwagon playing over the radio.

The song playing was oddly fitting for them - _Can't Fight This Feeling_. It was a recent song that had become popular seemingly overnight. Rosalie had heard it just that morning when she'd woken up.

She brought her eyes from her lap and realized that sitting around silently would get them nowhere - so she stood up, walking around the cave and looking at each poster. She knew, of course, who was watching her do so.

"You stare at me a lot," Rosalie said without turning, her voice bouncing off the walls.

"I can't help it," Dwayne responded coolly.

"I'm not surprised with that answer." Rosalie walked towards a bookshelf and ran her fingertips over each book, biting her lip as she did so. "There's some good books here."

She heard a shuffle and Dwayne was standing next to her in an instant, dark eyes scanning the shelf in front of them. Or, the carved surfaces in the cave.

"Dante's_ Inferno_ is a favorite of mine," Dwayne said, picking up the old book and looking over the cover. "Always interested me."

"I read it once, a few years ago," I responded. "If you like that, you'd probably enjoy _The Caretaker and the Dumb Waiter_. It's one of my favorites."

"I've already read it. Twice." Rosalie tilted her head to the side as she looked at him, a small smile perking her lips.

_You know_, she thought, _we have a lot more in common than I thought. _

"I agree." Rosalie jumped and then looked over, eyes wider than before.

"Really? Can't you just act like you can't hear my thoughts, at least once?" she asked, pursing her lips as Dwayne smiled.

"Where's the fun in that, Rosalie?" She watched as he placed the book back on the shelf, and she looked over each one.

"You know . . . I . . . I really think . . ." Rosalie furrowed her eyebrows as she attempted to piece together the words to say aloud, but couldn't find the correct phrases to use. Dwayne watched her open and then close her mouth, eventually grabbing her by the chin to make her stop and look at him.

_Tell me_, he said, and Rosalie heard him in her mind. She understood immediately what he meant and bit her lip.

_I know everything – about me from when I was a kid. And how you felt, and how you still feel. And I honestly think that I would like to get to know you better, just to see what happens from there, because I'd be lying if I said I didn't like you some. _

Dwayne looked down at her for a few seconds, no emotion on his face. Then he spoke and Rosalie couldn't help but smile.

"Then let's do so."


	29. Chapter 29

**_"I searched the sand for sound, my eyes forced to the ground. The wind it laughed wild and shrill - my heart it tried to spill its crazy tears." -Donovan_**

Belated Forgiveness Plea

An hour before the sun rose, Dwayne took Rosalie home on his motorbike - she was hesitant to get off and of course, Dwayne knew so.

"Thank you," she said, standing next to the him with her jacket wrapped tightly around her arms. "I guess I'll see you soon."

"Yeah. And Rose?"

She turned to look at him from halfway up the drive.

"Yes?"

"Happy birthday." Rosalie couldn't stop the smile from appearing on her face, and she turned around to hide her blush. Dwayne took off on his motorbike and Rosalie tip-toed up the front porch, used the key to unlock the front door, and stepped into the living room.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she noticed Amy standing a few feet away in her pajamas, slippers, and hair in curlers. Her arms were crossed over her chest.

"Where have you been?" she asked angrily, eyebrows furrowed. "Do you know how long I've waited up for you? Six hours, Arabella!"

"I'm sorry . . . I-"

"No excuses. You know the curfew, and I expect you to obey my rules. I am your mother!"

"No, you aren't!" Rosalie finally exploded, tears pricking her eyes. "I'm sorry, but you are_ not _my mother! Carlie will always be my mother, my _true_ mother!"

Amy's face went incredibly stony, and Rosalie realized what she had said.

". . . I'm sorry," she said quietly. "It's not that I don't appreciate you trying. I do. But you can't just make 13 years-"

"Go to your room. Now."

"But-"

"Now, Arabella. You are not going out anymore, only straight to work and back. You will come back when your brother does and that is it."

"I said I was sorry!"

"I don't care." Rosalie was now angry, realizing she wouldn't get to see her friends for however long. But she decided to be glad with the fact that her brother spent his nights getting drunk and not coming home until early in the morning.

"Can't it wait until tomorrow? It's my birthday."

"I know very well what day it is." She glared at Rosalie, and the glare was returned as Rosalie brushed past.

"Happy birthday to me, huh? I hate this place." Rosalie stomped up the stairs and into her room, making sure to slam her door as hard as she could. She let out a deep sigh and flopped onto the bed to stare at the ceiling as she thought of Carlie.

Carlie would have never done this to her on her birthday. Rosalie never got in trouble with Carlie.

Then again, I never felt a need to rebel this way . . . Rosalie rolled over onto her side, watching as sunlight began to stream across the floor. She knew that by now, Dwayne would be asleep in the cave with the others. Dwayne . . .

_He's not as bad as I thought. We like a lot of the same things_, Rosalie thought to herself, eyelids suddenly growing heavy. I hope I get to see him soon. Especially now that I'm on fucking lockdown.

Her eyes closed and didn't open until late morning, when she was awoken by the phone near her bed ringing. She picked up the heavy receiver and held it to her ear.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Happy birthday!" Despite being upset, Rosalie cracked a smile at the cheery tone of Cindy's voice.  
"Thanks."

"What're you doing tonight?" Rosalie sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Nothing. Mom has me on lockdown."

"What? Why?"

"Okay, so most of it is my fault, but . . . I stayed out most of the night with the boys. She caught me sneaking in, grounded me, I said some things that were true that I didn't mean . . ."

"Damnit, Rosalie." Cindy paused. "Maybe I can talk to her, ask if she'd be okay with me taking you out or something. I'm sorta trustworthy, no?"

"You have your moments."

"Shut up." Rosalie smiled and moved the receiver to her other ear. "So . . . how's things with you and Mr. Mystery going?"

"Since when do you call him that?"

"Since now."

Rosalie laughed, then said, "Well . . . I don't know. Things are just really confusing, and . . . he kissed me last night."

"Oh wow! Really? How was it?"

"Unexpected, kind of angsty. I mean, you know, I do like him, but I just don't know him all that well. We have some things in common but I haven't seen much of him yet."

"Okay . . . I'll give you a test."

"A test."

"Just trust me. Okay, does he look at you a lot?"

"All the time."

"And does he smile when he looks at you?" Cindy asked.

"No, I mean - wait, Cindy, are you reading this from a magazine?"

". . . No."

Rosalie rolled her eyes and let out a heavy sigh.

"Tell me about you and Marko."

"Things are going steady. I like his company, and he has the sweetest smile." She smirked, and then heard shuffling. "Shit, Rose, I gotta go. Dad's gotta use the phone. I'll see you later, okay? I'll stop by the house or something."

"Okay, Cindy. Bye." She set the phone down and ran her hands over her forehead, then stood up. Rosalie decided she needed a shower and a fresh change of clothes, even if she was certain she would be stuck in the house all day.

By the time she had gotten done with a shower, her makeup, and her clothes, there was a knock on the door. She didn't reply as she pinned up her hair and caught a glimpse of Amy in her mirror.

"Where're you going?" she asked, taking notice that Rosalie wasn't wearing her normal outfit. Rosalie didn't turn.

"It's my birthday. Even if I'm not going out, I want to look nice." Amy sighed.

"Arabella, we were both upset earlier. I understand that you're angry, but I was worried, is all. I didn't know if something happened again." She caught her breath and Rosalie glanced up at her. "I want you to spend today with your family, and if you behave, I'll let you go out for a few hours. But after that, you're grounded."

Rosalie was tired and decided to take what she could get.  
"Thank you," she said, and stood up to straighten out her skirt. She followed Amy down the stairs into the dining room, where her family sat around a cake with seventeen candles.

"Happy birthday!" Laddie cried, running towards Rosalie to hug her. She couldn't help but smile. "I got you a present!"

"Did you?" she asked, and Laddie nodded as he pulled her towards the table where a crudely wrapped present was.

"Open it! Open it!" he said as soon as she was seated. She smiled as she peeled away the newspaper to look down at the thick card with stick people drawn onto the cover.

"That's me, and that's you, and that's Cindy!" he said, pointing to each of the characters. Across the top were the words 'Hapee birtday' in two colors of crayon that made Rosalie smile even wider. "Do you like it?"

"I love it, Laddie. Thank you." She hugged her little brother tightly before Amy lit the candles on her cake. She started to sing Happy Birthday under her breath, growing louder and louder and forcing the others to join in. Rosalie stared down at the pink cake in front of her and once the song ended, she blew out the candles.

I wish for a star-filled sky.

Laddie clapped as the smoke travelled in spirals through the air, and as a slice of cake was placed in front of him. When Rosalie went to take the first bite of cake there was a knock at the door, and Amy went to answer it. She came back with Cindy.

"Happy birthday!" Cindy said, sitting next to Laddie before Amy slid a piece of cake her way. Cindy then slid a box across the table. "I got you something."

"You didn't have to!" Rosalie said, and then peeled away the wrappings. She gasped as she held up a handmade friendship bracelet with her name on it. "Cindy, you sweetheart!"

Cindy tsked and ate more of her cake, and Amy stood to pick up a present that had been sitting in the kitchen. Rosalie looked at her curiously before she opened the present as well to see new clothes, money, and a pair of red Converse. She couldn't help but smile at her family's kindness and thanked them.

When Cindy was done with her cake, Amy allowed them to leave the house so long as Rosalie was back by midnight and no later - Rosalie took what she could and decided it was better than nothing, even if it was still clear she would have a lack of freedom.


	30. Chapter 30

**_"Now I'm on my feet again, better things are bound to happen, all my dues surely must be paid. Many miles and many tears, times were hard but now they're changing, you should know that I'm not afraid . . ." -Bad Company_**

Ready For Love

Days passed and Rosalie didn't have much of a chance to talk to the boys - to her surprise, her brother hadn't been drinking. He had been going home earlier at night and taking her with him as soon as he got off from work. Rosalie couldn't sneak out from her bedroom window, knowing full well that she would fall from the roof and Amy would wake up as soon as she walked down the hallway.

But now that it was a Friday night and Kevin couldn't resist not going out with his friends on the beach. When they had left the house when Rosalie had to work, he had told her in the car that he was spending time with his friends "hanging out". Rosalie didn't mind at all.

It was a somewhat long night working, with people coming in and out of the store constantly. Rosalie was put in charge of the register while another girl stocked the racks, and Tom worked in the back with the recent shipments. When night fell, the crowd only seemed to grow bigger as if the sliver of a moon was driving them insane.

Throughout her frenzy of checking out people as soon as possible, she couldn't mistaken the familiar voice in her head.

_How've you been? _She smiled at Dwayne's voice and wondered where he was. Looking around the store, however, she found him nowhere in sight.

**_Peachy. I've been on lockdown for the past week._ **She smiled at the young woman as she handed over her records and change, bidding her a good night.

_Because you stayed out late. That's my fault. _

**_It's fine, though. I'm just glad Amy didn't do worse or anything. Hey, where are you, by the way? _**

_Watching you. _She felt a shiver go down her spine and looked out the window of the store. He still wasn't anywhere in sight and it drove Rosalie crazy. Dwayne laughed in her head.

"Would you like a bag?" Rosalie asked to an older man who set a stack of .45's on the counter.

_Look at you, being a good little worker_. She felt a smile perk the corner of her lips.

_**This is the most I've heard you talk, Dwayne. I'm surprised.** _She bagged the LP's and handed them over with a few dollars in change. He smiled and left, and Tom came to the front of the store.

"Go ahead and switch the closed sign. We'll let these people finish browsing and then close up, okay?" Tom asked, and Rosalie nodded. "Love the Led Zeppelin shirt, by the way."

"Thanks, boss-man!" Rosalie moved over so he could take over the register briefly, and she switched the 'open' sign to 'closed'. She glanced out the window and was a little saddened that Dwayne still wasn't anywhere in sight.

_Don't worry. I'm here. _She smiled to herself and moved back behind the counter to finish ringing up people. After ten minutes, mostly everyone was gone from the store and Tom sent everyone home while he locked up.

Rosalie exited through the back alley, shoving her hands in her short pockets as she walked. She had a small smile on his face that disappeared, however, when she noticed a man that was unfamiliar waiting for her in the alleyway.

"Where ya goin' so fast, girly?" She kept her head down, avoiding his gaze and brushed past him with her heart pounding loudly in her chest. "Ignorin' me?"

She walked at a faster pace and let out a sharp gasp when one hand clasped around her wrist.

"You're a pretty lil' thing." He pulled her closer to his chest and Rosalie could smell the alcohol lingering on his breath. It sickened her.

"Get off." She snaked one of her hands into her purse, gripping her knife.

**_Dwayne?_** She thought, a tight knot forming in her stomach. **_You're here, right? _**

Before he could reply, she slung her free wrist up and cut the man across the cheek. He fell back against the wall and Rosalie went to run but his hand only tightened around her free wrist.

"Bitch," he mumbled, and used his other hand to knock the knife out of her hand when she went to strike him again. When he went to slap her, his hand mere inches from her face, he was yanked back suddenly and pinned to the wall next to Rosalie. Dwayne glared harshly at the drunk man with his forearm still pressed roughly against his throat.

"I'd like to see you try that again," he growled, and the drunk man flailed his arms in an attempt to fight back. "That ain't gonna work, fool."

Rosalie watched as Dwayne's face shifted and contorted, fangs growing before he ripped into the man's shoulder. She cringed and looked away as the man whimpered until eventually he stopped breathing.

"Are you okay?" he asked, dropping the man as his face went back to normal. Rosalie nodded, rubbing her wrist as she looked him over.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you." She sighed and straightened out as he looked over her.

"We need to talk. Soon." Rosalie felt a deep pang of fear in her chest and he shook his head. "Nothin' bad."

"It's still an ominous sentence. I should expect that, though. Especially from you." She nodded to the end of the alley and walked towards the boardwalk. He followed. "Can I ask why you never wear a shirt?"

"They're uncomfortable." She rolled her eyes.

"Really? Are you sure you're not just trying to show off?" She smiled at his stare on her face and shook her head. "Sorry. I couldn't help myself."

"I see."

"So," she said, ignoring everyone on the boardwalk watching the pair. She stopped next to the railing and hopped up on the metal bar. "Tell me something about you. Like . . . what's the key on your necklace for?"

She brought her hand to linger over the key, lightly touching his skin accidentally as she did so. He watched her curiously.

"It belonged to a family member." Rosalie tilted her head to the side, egging him to continue. "My sister. It was a key to a jewelry box she had."

"Interesting," Rosalie said quietly, examining the shells weaved into the necklace. "Everything has a meaning with you. It never ceases to amaze me."

_I could say the same about you._ She looked at him curiously and raised an eyebrow. He kept the same look on his face.

"Cat got your tongue?" Rosalie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That could be." Rosalie licked her dry lips and looked up at the moon, and then down at her brother on the beach. He was currently dancing around a fire with another girl she didn't know.

"Look . . . I hate to ask, but -"

"Come on." Rosalie smiled slightly and jumped down from the railing, following Dwayne through the crowd. He didn't make a move to touch Rosalie, which didn't exactly surprise her. He only did once they were at his motorbike and he was holding out a hand to help her on. Once seated, she put her arms around his waist and chin on his shoulder.

"Where to?"


	31. Chapter 31

**_"If I could take you to heaven that would make my day complete, but you and me ain't movie stars, what we are is what we are, and I tell you babe, well that's enough for me." -Alice Cooper_**

You And Me

Rosalie didn't have to work the following night - a _Saturday_ night. For once she wished she could have worked on that particular day, because it was nightfall and she was locked away in her room. Amy was forcing her to stay in, since she was technically still grounded. Rosalie watched Kevin get into his car from the window, a cooler in the passenger seat and a pack of cigarettes in his shirt pocket. He didn't notice her watching as he sped off towards the beach to repeat his typical pattern of partying.

Rosalie sighed and moved from the window, curious as to how she should spend the night.

_Cindy has to work tonight and she'll probably hang out with Marko afterwards_, she thought to herself, flopping onto the bed. _Parents are asleep, and I can't risk getting caught sneaking out. Laddie would wake them up, too, if I went to play with him. God damnit. _

She pulled the blanket over her shoulders and pressed her cheek to her pillow.

_I'll just sleep. _She closed her eyes and snuggled tighter into the blankets. Right as she was about to drift off to sleep, a noise made her pop open an eye.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._ At first, she thought it was her mom at her door and decided to leave her warm bed to check. No one was in the hallway.

_Knock. Knock. Knock. _Rosalie jumped as the noise came from in the room, and only calmed a bit when she noticed Dwayne waiting outside her window. She closed the door and moved over to him and slid the glass up.

"You scared me," she whispered, straightening out her tank top.

"Oops." She rolled her eyes and then noticed he made no move to enter the room.

"You can come in." He nodded and then soundlessly hopped into her room to tower above her and watch as she opened her closet door. "Turn around real quick, please."

Dwayne listened and turned to look at a poster on the wall, catching a glimpse of Rosalie in the mirror in front of him. She was changing into a t-shirt, and he noticed she wasn't wearing a bra. He couldn't help but watch as she slowly slid on the shirt, her skin soft under the moonlit sky and shadows enhancing every contour of her back. As soon as she turned, however, he looked away.

"Okay, you're good." Rosalie had no idea that he had watched her and instead, walked over to rest her head against his shoulder. "Are you a fan of Motley Crue?"

"Yeah." She hummed in response as she looked over the poster, then pulled back.

"Sorry I can't go out tonight. I couldn't sneak out without being caught."

"Who says you'd get caught?" Dwayne asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked down at her. "And where's the thrill in being rebellious?"

"Well . . ." She weighed the options in her head and Dwayne knew she wanted to leave the house. She just didn't want him to think she was forcing him to spend time with him.

"And who says that I _don't _want to spend time with you?"

"God damnit, I really wish you would quit reading my mind." He shrugged and walked towards the window. When he was standing on the roof he turned back around and held out a hand.

"Come on. I'll make sure they won't hear you leaving." Rosalie hesitated and bit her lip, turning to glance at the door. Then her lips slowly turned up into a smile and she took his hand to leave her room. She slid the window shut once she was on the roof and looked at Dwayne curiously as he placed one hand on her back, the other behind her knees.

"What're you-" He lifted her up with ease to carry and soundlessly jumped off the roof. When he was on the ground he set her back onto her feet. "Oh. Thanks."

"Don't mention it." He walked down the block to his motorbike and helped her onto the back, and they headed towards the cave. By now, Rosalie was used to the winding turns in the forest leading to the cave - she knew when to hold on tight, when she could relax, when to hold back a scream or let out a laugh. Really, her favorite turn was the second to last one where she would have to hold on tighter than ever to Dwayne. He knew this and took the curve incredibly fast each time she was with him.

When they arrived at the cliff overlooking the cave and Rosalie went to use the stairs, Dwayne laughed.

"What is it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. He walked over and picked her up again without warning, walking to the edge of the cliff. Her eyes went wide. "Okay, forreal, if you do what Marko did I will not hesitate to-"

Instead, he moved from the cliff and down to the entrance of the cave in a matter of seconds. When Rosalie was on her feet again, she followed him into the dimly lit cave to sit with him. He leaned against the fountain with a small sigh and she sat on the wheelchair David was fond of, rolling back and forth as she waited for him to speak.

"I do like you," Rosalie said once it was clear he didn't want to make the first move. His eyes set on her, the gaze appearing to darken before her eyes. "I won't deny that."

"Then you'll understand what I mean when I say that I want something more with you," he replied, head turning to the side.

"I do." He stood up then, and moved until he was directly in front of the wheelchair. He leaned down in front of her with his hands on the railings.

"And?"

"I want the same." She wasn't lying - something about Dwayne hit her heart just right. She could talk to him about literature and not feel bored at all, listen to him talk about things that other boys didn't necessarily like to talk about. He was quiet, like she was - and he was more of an observer. All things she admired about him, and that was to name just a few.

"I love how much you think of me." He stood straighter again and Rosalie stood up with nerves building up in her stomach. She watched him curiously, and before she knew it he had one hand on the back of her neck.

"I'm going crazy for you." Dwayne's lips were incredibly close to her own, but her breath hitched and she made no move. His eyes flickered between hers and her lips, trying to decide what to do.

He tilted his head to the side, moving in closer. Rosalie's eyes flickered shut before he slowly pressed his lips to hers, giving them gentle care as he lifted one hand to rest against her cheek.

Rosalie rested one hand on the back of his shoulder, the other moving towards his thick hair as the kiss deepened as he leaned down closer. Dwayne broke the kiss first and he smirked once he noticed the dazed look in her eyes. His hands moved to her waist holding her still, lips moving further down her face slowly until they were at her neck.

Her scent hit him immediately - she smelled like cinnamon and oranges with a hint of pine mixed, even wildflowers. It was a colorful scent that he couldn't remember any other girl harboring.

Rosalie leaned her neck back further, hand still entangled within his hair. She had her eyes closed as Dwayne lingered over her skin for seconds, and then reopened them once she felt nails digging into her sides.

Dwayne moved himself immediately when he felt his fangs growing and turned from Rosalie. She didn't like the lack of contact between them but said nothing as she watched him.

When he turned back around, his eyes were yellow - she gasped quietly, realizing that he was still a vampire after all and she was a human. He looked as if he was trying to control himself and she took a step back as she watched. She didn't move until his eyes were back to their natural brown.

"You alright?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah." She nodded and walked towards him with a small smile.

"Good." When she pressed a kiss to his cheek, Rosalie heard someone jump into the cave and turned to see who it was. Paul had his arms crossed and he was smirking.

"It's about damn time. I thought I'd have to play matchmaker soon, or take her for myself." Rosalie heard a small growl in the back of Dwayne's throat, and then felt one arm snake around her waist. Paul laughed. "Should've come in sooner."

"You guys are so territorial," she said with an eye roll, deciding that if she thought it they would still hear her. "It's ridiculous."  
"What's ours, is ours," Paul replied with a shrug, and then winked. "Nice to see you finally decided to stop the sexual tension and hook up."

"It's not like that," Dwayne said, and Paul rolled his eyes.

"I know. Take a joke." He moved around the cave and grabbed his black jacket. "I'll leave you to alone. Whatever happens, happens."


	32. Chapter 32

**_"Well you're killing me, your love's a guillotine, why don't you just set me free?" -Motley Crue_**

Too Young To Fall In Love

Rosalie couldn't help it - she wanted to be around Dwayne as much as possible. She didn't care if she got caught sneaking out of her room at night, or if her parents didn't like it. Dwayne was a source of comfort for her, someone she could talk to about many things and receive wise advice in return. Maybe it was also the fact that she admired always feeling welcome around him, and that she knew no harm would come to her when he was near. It made her feel secure.

She had worked on the boardwalk at the store on a Wednesday night, thinking about Dwayne and the others for most of the night. She recalled the conversations she had with him - books, music, art . . . He knew almost every single thing she loved, and shared an interest. Rosalie told him about her adventures in Chicago, and Dwayne talked about his memories with his brothers over the years. They had spent one night on the boardwalk when her brother was out with friends at the pizza place, and even if it was just for an hour, Rosalie was glad she had a small piece of time to be around him.

Tonight, Kevin had brought three cases of beer with him to the boardwalk. Rosalie knew there was no way they'd be home soon.

"You seem preoccupied," Tom said, walking around Rosalie to open a package that had come in earlier that day.

"Business is a little slow today," she replied with a shrug, looking over the usual locals inside the store. "But it's never dull in here."

"Now that I can agree with." Tom sighed heavily. "Damn. They forgot to send the jazz vinyls! The company always does this . . . Rosalie, be a doll and help that man over there? He asked me to see what we had."

"Got it, boss-man," Rosalie replied, and then put on a small smile as she walked over to where Tom had pointed. The man looked shy, and quiet. In fact, Rosalie hadn't even notice him come into the store. He had tan glasses and a neutral wardrobe that didn't necessarily make him stand out. "Hi! Can I help you with anything?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. Do you know anything about jazz?" he asked in a friendly voice, and Rosalie felt something odd about the man. She said nothing, though.

"I'm not an expert, but I know some about jazz, yes. Any certain decade of jazz?"

"No. I'm more into Muddy Waters, Etta James . . ."

"Oh really?" Rosalie asked, and her smile grew. "Fantastic artists. I come from Chicago, and lived a few minutes from Chess Records. That's where they recorded their albums."

"Wow!" He smiled wide, and fingered through a few albums. "So you _do_ know jazz."

"Mhm." Rosalie reached down and picked up an album. "_Sparkle_ is a great album. Aretha Franklin recorded this in the 70's and she really captures emotion in her songs. She's very talented."

"_Sparkle_, huh?" He picked up the album and examined the back. "I've always been more of an Etta person, but I'm willing to give it a try. Thank you for helping me."

"No problem. Is there anything else I can help with?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"No, I don't think so. I should be getting back to my store." Rosalie moved behind the register and looked at him curiously.

"Oh, do you own a store?" she asked.

"Yes. The video tape store just down the boardwalk."

"Oh, I've heard of it! My mom goes in there to buy my baby brother movies," Rosalie explained, and the man smiled.

"What would be your name?"

"Oh, I'm Rosalie." She held out a hand and he shook it.

"Max. Thanks for the help." He sent her one last smile as he paid for his record and left the store. Tom came back talking on the phone, and sighed when he hung up.

"Damn company . . . did you help that man?"

"Yes. He bought an Aretha Franklin record." Tom smiled at her and then nodded to the front doors.

"Good job, kiddo. I'll have your paycheck Friday night. You can go ahead and leave, just turn the sign on your way out?"

"Gotcha. See you tomorrow." She waved goodbye and walked out of the store, changing the sign as she did so.

"Aretha, hm?" Rosalie jumped and turned around to see David watching her curiously.

"Jesus! How long have you been here?"

"Long enough." David seemed closed off, almost uncomfortable. Rosalie didn't mention it. "Come on."

Rosalie followed him to his motorbike, and they were soon off to the cave. Once there, her heart fluttered and she fixed her hair. David let out a chuckle.

"Making sure you look nice?" he asked, and Rosalie went a little red in the face.

"Sh." She walked down the entrance of the cave and held back a smile as she noticed Dwayne sitting with Paul. As soon as Paul noticed her faint scent, he looked up and watched as she not-so-gracefully stumbled on her jump.

"Clutz!" he yelled as she stood up, brushing off her jeans. She glared at him before flipping him off, moving to sit next to Dwayne.

"Lovebirds," he mumbled with an eyeroll, and Dwayne glared at him. "Jesus, do you ever separate?"

"Hey, I could be one of those girls that doesn't allow Dwayne to see you guys," Rosalie said matter-of-factly. "Besides, I already know I could never do that."

_Watch this, girl. _Paul didn't look at her, but she noticed the smirk playing on his lips.

**_Oh no. _**

"Damn straight," Paul replied, and then kicked up his legs so they rested close to Rosalie. He nudged her with his foot. "Hey, can I watch you and Loverboy make out?"

**_You're going to piss him off. _**

_I know. _

Rosalie pushed his feet down.

"Fuck you, Paul," Dwayne replied with an eye roll and a glare. Paul laughed and wiggled his eyebrows, realizing his taunting was getting somewhere. His plan was working.

"Just sayin'. I can imagine it would be hot." Dwayne's glare intensified and Rosalie noticed him clench his jaw. "Especially Rosalie. I can imagine those moans now."

**_Paul!_**

_What? I'm just getting you a chance to do some flirting. After this he'll definitely need it. _

Rosalie rested a hand on his arm to keep him from jumping up and pouncing. Paul just smiled, then stood up.

"Got him warmed up for you. Go nuts." He winked and then walked away, and flew out of the cave quickly. Rosalie quickly realized what he had been doing and shook her head before looking over at Dwayne.

"You know he just wanted to mess with you, right?" She glanced over at David, who had been listening as he messed around with a familiar bottle. "He just wanted you -"

Dwayne suddenly pressed his lips to hers in a quick gesture before pulling right back. She stayed in the same position, stunned for a moment, and then laughed.

"You guys definitely act like brothers," she said, and then rested her head against his shoulder.

"I know his intentions," Dwayne replied, and he held her tightly against his side. "He's trying to speed things along."

Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"That's just his way. You of all people know that."

He didn't seem at all convinced, and continued to stare straight ahead at the wall.

"You always look so murderous," Rosalie said.

"That's just my face."

"It makes you really unapproachable."

"Good."

"You're being incredibly moody," Rosalie said, and watched as David left the cave. She assumed he was tired of listening to them. "You _do _know - nevermind."

She realized he wasn't listening: he was zoned out of his mind, still staring ahead. Rosalie knew that she wouldn't get anywhere with just words and decided to go along with what Paul wanted her to do. She slung one leg over his and moved into his lap, one arm over his shoulder and the other resting in her lap. His gaze finally snapped to look at her and she was happy with her success.

"He was just trying to make you get territorial again. It obviously worked." He pressed another quick kiss to her cheek, and placed his arms around her waist.

"I can't help myself."

"Because of the imprinting thing, I know. Paul knows it, too, and that's why he does it."

Rosalie knew Paul didn't mean to hurt him - he just liked to see Dwayne territorial. Paul never meant harm, and he knew that if Dwayne loved Rosalie, Paul needed to leave her be. There were plenty of girls to toy with, but he knew better than to even think of actually being with Rosalie. Dwayne could be extremely dangerous when he wanted to be.

"If he ever tries anything, I'll -" Rosalie cut him off with a kiss.

"I know."


	33. Chapter 33

**_"Burn out the day, burn out the night, I can't see no reason to put up a fight, I'm living for giving the devil his due." -Blue Oyster Cult_**

Burnin' For You

"Are you excited to start school in a few weeks? What classes do you want to take? We need to get you a whole new wardrobe to start that isn't music shirts . . . maybe some nice blouses . . ." Rosalie leaned against the car door, looking out the window to the sun beating down on the beach. She wished she could be down there since it was her day off, but Amy had decided to present the idea of school shopping.

Rosalie was terrified to go to school here - she only knew Cindy closely, and many of the kids at her school had poor music taste. She wasn't sure how she would fit in at school, which classes she would enjoy . . . hell, she didn't even know if she'd want to sign up for volleyball again.

Rosalie sat straighter with a sigh.

"I guess I am. New start with school, you know?" She glanced back into the mirror and looked at Laddie, who was currently kicking his feet back and forth eagerly with a smile deeply engraved on his face. She loved to see his smile, and it made her day automatically brighter.

"Of course! I can't wait to look for clothes for you. I've always had to do shopping for the boys!" Rosalie nodded with a hint of a smile, deciding to let Amy have her moment. "Nice blouses and pretty skirts. Maybe a few cardigans and nice tank tops."

"Sounds nice," Rosalie replied, and faked a smile. Amy pulled into the parking lot of a department store and Rosalie got out of the car, helping Laddie out of his seat as he did so.

"I wanna eat ice cream!" Laddie cried out, taking Rosalie's hand as they walked into the store.

"No, Laddie - you get way too hyper," Amy replied, and Rosalie internally groaned at all the patterns of pink around the store she had walked into. She couldn't stand the flower prints, and the deep pinks that surrounded her. Of course, Amy veered off in that exact direction.

"Magenta would bring out those baby blues of yours so well," she mumbled, holding up different shirts to Rosalie's chest. Laddie squirmed, trying to escape her grip only to fail.

"I prefer blacks and blues," Rosalie said, and at Amy's crestfallen look added, "But I can try the pink. I just . . . I like light blues."

"Of course, yes . . ." Amy kept the shirts and skirts in her arms as they walked to a different part of the store. "Are you going to do any sports this year?"

"I used to play volleyball. I don't know if I will this year."

"Oh, you definitely should. You've got the legs for it. Diving legs." Amy laughed at her joke and pulled on a few different shirts. "Go try these on, and I want to see them on you."

Rosalie nodded and took the clothes to the dressing room with a sigh. She tried on the magenta blouse first and automatically groaned at the sight. She hated the color, and the ruffles that flowed down her chest. She stepped out with an unsure look on her face.

"You look so nice in that!" Amy stood up, adjusting the sleeves. "Gosh, it brings out your eyes so well . . ."

"It's alright." Amy pursed her lips and Rosalie stepped back into the dressing booth to try on the other clothes. While she changed, however, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror and noticed her face was paler than usual. There were bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep she had gotten the previous morning, the small scar on her neck from a childhood accident. She sighed before trying on another uncomfortable blouse.

Rosalie was used to baggy t-shirts and jeans with regular shoes - now Amy wanted her to dress up for school, offering to buy her skirts and nice blouses. Next, it would be high heels.

_Ugh_, Rosalie thought in her head. _I just want my rock shirts. I wish she could understand that. _

There was a knock on the door.

"Rosalie? You alright?"

"Yeah. Hold on." She stepped out in a skirt, adjusting it every time she took a step. It was patterned, unlike her favorite dresses.

"I remember when I was your age, I used to wear stuff like that. I think a nice pair of short heels would look amazing with that."

_Fucking shit. _

"Oh, that could be cool," Rosalie said.

"I'm so excited! You're like my own living doll!"

Amy nodded and ran off, and Rosalie sighed as she retreated back to the dressing room.

_I just wish that she could understand . . ._


	34. Chapter 34

**_"We're gonna go, but then we'll see you again, I've had enough, we've had enough, 'Cold in vain,' she said."_**

Round And Round

Rosalie slept at night for the next two days after shopping with her mother - she decided she needed to care for herself and allow Dwayne to have time with the boys for once, away from Rosalie. She had slept each nights well, cleaned her room, watched Laddie, and spent time with her parents. Amy was thrilled about that.

When it was a Friday afternoon, Amy presented Rosalie with the best news she had heard all week: she was no longer grounded, so long as she learned her lesson. She did - Rosalie now knew to be more careful about sneaking into the house at night, and how to escape soundlessly.

Although she had to work, she planned on making the night as best as possible. She was allowed to pick the music for the night in the store, and given the job of stocking the shelves with new music. She had been stacking new cassettes and laughing with her co-worker, dancing around the store playfully.

_Finally free? _

_**At last.** _She smiled to herself and hummed, stacking cassettes in alphabetical order. She heard the bell above the entrance ring, and then watched Paul walk over to her.

"Any recommendations?"

"Ratt, of course," Rosalie said, and held up a cassette from the box for him. "Best-seller."

"You're in love!" Paul sang, and Rosalie laughed lightly as she pulled out more tapes.

"How've you guys been?"

"Oh, I have to say, very misguided." Paul slung an arm over her shoulders and Rosalie rolled her eyes. "We don't have our mother to guide us."

'I'm not your mother." Rosalie pushed his arm off of her and moved to the front of the store to grab another box full of fresh cassettes.

"Little sis, then. I've missed taunting you and Dwayne. It's become a hobby of mine."

"Oh, I noticed. I'm surprised he hasn't killed you yet," Rosalie said. She shook her head and brushed past him to the shelves again.

"About Dwayne, then."

"Paul, I already told you, I'm not going to tell you about my relationship with Dwayne. We haven't even -"

"Yeah, yeah, I know that. Sh." Rosalie looked up, the box forgotten in her arms. "If you really like Dwayne, you should tell him."

"He knows I do. He wouldn't be my boyfriend if-"

"Do you love him?" Rosalie froze completely and looked up at him with wide eyes.

"What?"

"Do you love him?" Paul repeated, and Rosalie looked back down at the box of tapes. She knew that she was fond of Dwayne, liked him more than friends. She loved his laugh, his smile, his intelligence. But most of all, she loved his -

"Heh."

"Stop reading my mind!" Rosalie said, and smacked his arm. "And quit making dirty jokes, pervert!"

"Hey, sorry!" Paul dodged another hit. "Can't help myself."

"Nasty."

"Yeah, yeah. Back to my question . . ." He looked at her expectantly, and she paused for a few seconds.

"I . . . I don't know. I think I do." Paul nodded and followed her up to the counter. She sighed as she reached into her purse to fish out her chap-stick. "I'm just glad that I'm free from staying in every night. I know my parents mean well but really, it gets annoying."

Paul's back stiffened and he tilted his head, but said nothing.

"It's closing time," her co-worker called throughout the store, locking the back doors and moving to the front. "I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Bye, Christie. Have a good night." Rosalie led Paul out of the store and sighed once the warm breeze hit her face. "I'm in the mood for a ride."

"Your wild side is showing," Paul replied with a raised eyebrow, but made they way over to his motorbike anyways.

"Sorry, not sorry." She hopped onto the back of his bike and waited, watching him. He shook his head before getting on.

"Hold on, girl." She smirked and wrapped her arms around his waist, excitement flooding through her veins. Paul took off quickly with a whoop and holler, flying down the boardwalk and narrowly missing locals walking around. She laughed as the wind whipped her face and Paul zoomed across the sandy beach, narrowly missing partiers.

They travelled under the boardwalk and Rosalie let out a whoop, making Paul smile and laugh as they turned sharp corners through the forest. When they had reached the peak overlooking the ocean and Paul had parked, Rosalie had to admit she missed the high already.

"That was fun! Can we do it again?"

"Sister, I'd love to, but I'm sure loverboy would like to see you." Rosalie nodded and smiled at the thought of Dwayne, a glazed look in her eye. Rosalie snapped out of her trance when Paul threw her over his shoulder.

"Hey! What're you doing?"

"You're zoned out, and you weren't listening." He flew down to the cave and landed soundlessly on the rock before the entrance.

"Can't help it," she mumbled, then kicked her legs. "Okay, you can put me down now."

"I think I'm going to practice my new hobby some more."

"You're an awful person."

"Oh, I know." He flew into the cave quickly and Rosalie squeaked before he set her down onto her feet. Marko currently had a pigeon resting on his arm in a corner of the cave while David was in another, polishing a pair of boots. Dwayne was reading a book on a couch in the cave but looked up as soon as he smelled Rosalie nearby.

"I found this pretty little thing on the boardwalk," Paul announced before placing her on the ground. "Ain't she a beauty?"

Dwayne slammed his book shut.

"Okay, Paul." She rolled her eyes and walked over to Dwayne. She rested her head on his shoulder. "What're you reading?"

"_The Vampire Lestat_."

"That's ironic," Rosalie said with a laugh. A small smile perked the corner of Dwayne's lips and Paul walked over to the rock box.

"I say we celebrate. Rosalie's finally free from jail!" Paul said, and started to dig around the box for a cassette. He finally found the one he was looking for and smiled. Rosalie noticed it was the album she had held up in the store.

In just a few short seconds, the cave went from quiet to loud with music, Marko leaving his pigeons to join Paul in dancing wildly around the cave. Rosalie laughed as she watched them and then turned to Dwayne.

"Dance with me?" she asked. He looked up from his book with a smirk, then back down again before he shut it. Rosalie's grin widened more than before and she jumped up, waiting for Dwayne.

Dwayne found her dancing to be hypnotizing. She would dance a circle around him with a joke in her eyes, smirk on her lips. Rosalie would shake her hips and then grab his hands to make him twirl her, or vice versa. Dwayne enjoyed to see this side of Rosalie: the carefree, wild girl she had been years ago.

She laughed and put her arms around his neck, smiling up at him.

"Having fun?" he asked.

"Yeah. I wouldn't want to spend time anywhere else." He leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek before Rosalie pulled back to turn to Paul. "And it's fun to watch this moron dance."

Dwayne let out a laugh before Paul made his way over to them, jumping around wildly to the music. He wasn't paying close attention, however, and accidently bumped Rosalie. Before she could catch herself, Rosalie fell forward and landed on the fountain where the skin on her shoulder broke and blood poured from the wound.

The cave went immediately silent and the music stopped, and the tension was thick in the air.

_I'm in a fucking cave with four vampires. I'm bleeding. This is _not _going to end well. _She looked around, and then Dwayne grabbed her by the forearms to help her up.

"Are you alright?" he asked, and she noticed him licking his lips. Rosalie knew he was tempted and even though she trusted Dwayne, she was terrified.

"Yeah . . . I think so." She reached up to her shoulder and felt the wound, blood staining her fingers. Rosalie let out a little gasp when she heard a low growl, and looked up to see Marko's face changing along with his eyes. He was biting his lip as his eyes settled on her wound, his mind focusing on the beating of her heart.

He lunged forward.

Immediately, Dwayne jumped in front of Rosalie and pushed her behind him protectively while Paul held back the ravenous vampire. David stopped his work and joined Paul in holding back Marko from attacking Rosalie.

"Get her out of here!" David said as Marko grunted, still reaching out to get to her. Dwayne didn't hesitate in taking Rosalie's hand and getting her out of the cave as soon as possible. When they were on top of the cliff, they stopped.

"Is Marko going to be alright?" Rosalie asked, and then cringed when she heard a particularly loud growling. "I . . . he's never done that around me."

"He hasn't fed for a few days," Dwayne says. "He'll more than likely go out tonight and find someone. It doesn't help that he's young."

"Oh." She reached up to feel her shoulder again, then let out a dry laugh. "This is a harsh throw back into reality."

"What do you mean?" Dwayne furrowed his eyebrows.

"I'm a human, Dwayne. You're a vampire. What's going to happen if one of these days I get hurt like this again and one of you guys can't stop? What if it's you?" she asked, and felt her heart break as she realized she had been living in a fantasy.

_There's no way we can be together. _Tears filled her eyes.

"Stop that," Dwayne replied, and used both of his hands to grab her face to look at him. "There's no way I could ever kill you. You mean too much to me."

"But even you know that it could happen."

"And it could. But you can bet that I'll fight it like there's no tomorrow." He wiped away a tear that fell down her cheek. "If I didn't love you, I wouldn't even try a relationship with you."

She placed her hands on top of his before leaning forward onto his chest. He held her there, still fighting the urge to taste even one drop of her blood.

"Come on, I'll take you home." Rosalie nodded and pulled back to follow him to his motorbike, hopping on. She wasn't at all surprised when he drove quickly through the woods, but what did surprise her was the lack of excitement he seemed to hold. She only sighed and watched as they exited the woods and began to head into town. He parked a block away from the house and followed her up to the house, even helped her quietly enter her window.

"Sit down," he said, walking from her room to the bathroom quietly. She sat down curiously and waited until he came back with a first-aid kit. He sat on the bed in front of her chair, then moved the sleeve of her shirt down her shoulder. She shifted at the coldness of his fingers, and again at the hungry look in his eyes.

"I can do it," Rosalie said, and he brought his eyes to hers. "I'll understand if you can't."

"I'll be fine." He pulled out a bottle and poured some of the contents onto a cloth. "This'll sting."

"Great." He pressed it to her wound and she inhaled sharply, balling her fists. He held it there for a few seconds and then pulled away to clean the blood from her arm. Rosalie looked down to see the cut was long, but not deep enough that she'd need stitches. It still hurt, though.

"Thank you," Rosalie said once he had covered the wound and thrown the blood-soaked cloths into the trash. She stood up and walked to her dresser, pulling out a few clothes. Dwayne knew the drill and turned, but still couldn't help but look over his shoulder a few times to catch glimpses of her back.

She wore a pair of shorts and another tank top before laying down on the bed. Her eyes drifted up to his and she looked at him expectantly. "Lay next to me?"

He didn't have to be told twice. He laid on his back on the bed, and it felt strange to him. He couldn't remember the last time he'd laid down on a mattress instead of sleeping upside down. Rosalie moved until she was laying next to him with her head on his chest. She placed one arm over his waist and allowed the other to play with the ends of his brown hair. His eyes watched hers flutter tiredly and decided to place an arm around her. She smiled and let out a soft sigh.

**_I love you_**, she thought and then fell into sleep.


	35. Chapter 35

**_"Where will we be when the summer's gone?" -The Doors_**

Summer's Almost Gone

Dwayne stayed put next to Rosalie for a few hours. He didn't move as he enjoyed feeling Rosalie entangled in his arms. She fell asleep almost as soon as she was comfortable, and Dwayne had heard her final thoughts before she fell asleep: _I love you. _

He tightened his grip around her as he thought of those words. Knowing she felt the way he did had to be one of the best feelings. Dwayne looked down at the girl. A few locks of her soft brown hair had fallen in front of her pale face. Her eyelashes cast shadows on her cheeks, on her lips that were slightly parted as she mumbled in her sleep. He smirked as he watched her face twitch at a dream he had sent to her.

"Ugh . . . stop it . . ." she mumbled, and squirmed until she was halfway lying on top of Dwayne. "You're always . . . always reading . . . stop it . . . my mind . . ."

He smiled as he looked down at her, then out the window. He knew the sun would be up in just an hour and he'd need to be back at the cave. Dwayne didn't want to leave Rosalie, but knew he had no choice. He gently laid her on top of the mattress and placed a blanket over her. Before he exited the window, he placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

He drove quickly back to the cave, so lost in his thoughts of the events of the night that he didn't even remember stopping on top of the cliff. He shook his head, walking down the stairs to the cave.

Paul was sitting on the fountain, smoking; David was in his wheelchair with a book; Marko was nowhere in sight.

"How's she?" Paul asked, letting out a puff of smoke.

"Little shaken up, but she's fine," Dwayne replied, and sat down next to Paul. David looked up from his book.

"You know we can't risk this again," he said, and closed the book to set his eyes on Dwayne. "Next time, she won't be so lucky."

"I know that."

"There's only one option for her now." David nodded towards the bottle on a shelf in the cave, and Dwayne's back stiffened. He didn't know how Rosalie would react to the idea.

"And Max?" Dwayne asked, referring to their "dad".

"He likes her," Paul replied with a small shrug. "I talked to him a few nights ago. He knew we were talkin' to her, and wanted to see what was so great about her. He went into the record store and talked to her."

"He told us he wouldn't mind having a daughter," David added, not seeing the issue with turning Rosalie. "She could be one of us. Forever."

"And if she doesn't go along with this?"

"Oh, she will. Once she figures out I'm her relative, she will." Dwayne sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew Rosalie couldn't refuse the chance to turn knowing that David was blood. He couldn't bring himself to break the news to Rosalie yet, and David couldn't either.

He had been turned before Rosalie was even born - his mother was a bastard to him, and always treated his little brother the best. They even refused to pay for his school fees. Then David met Max, and Max was everything he had ever wanted in a father. When Max offered to turn him, of course David couldn't resist.

David met Dwayne a few yesrs after being turned, and Paul the next, then Marko just months before Rosalie met them all. David made sure to keep his private life from them to protect his relatives.

Every night, whenever he had time, he would watch Rosalie from her bedroom window. She was almost always asleep, but some nights she wasn't. Some nights she would be sitting up with her mother, playing games or drawing, or he would catch them reading a story together. He loved to watch her read the most, however, because her eyes would always light up.

One night, she saw David. He expected her to scream, but she never did - instead, curiosity came over her eyes and she had come up to the window, pressed her hand to the glass, and smiled. It was as if she knew who he was.

When she was just starting school, Rosalie had snuck out of the house to follow her babysitter, Carlie, on her way home. They were walking and Rosalie was quiet for the most part, until they reached the cliff and Carlie was gone from sight. Rosalie carried on into the cave anyways and the rest is history.

David had wanted to turn Rosalie into one of them since she was a little girl. He wanted to make sure she was treated better than he was, and make sure she had a good childhood. When her parents found out about their secret visits, however, they threatened David.

He had grown fond of his relative and her parents knew this, and threatened to end that all. They were going to kill Rosalie.

He asked Carlie to take Rosalie away from Santa Carla, and she had agreed. For 13 years they managed to keep hidden until the police caught up with Carlie, arrested her, and sent Rosalie back to their parents.

"When're you telling her?" Paul asked. "It took you five years to tell me."

Dwayne had found out much sooner - just a few months after Rosalie began to befriend them. It had been because David trusted Dwayne the most, and because Dwayne had imprinted on her.

"Soon," David replied. "It's not as easy as you would think."

"I know, I know. But how do you expect her parents not to find out?" Paul asked. "Those assholes will do everything they can to make sure it doesn't happen."

"And I will kill them if they touch her. So far, they've been putting on a good front, but it's only so long before they hurt her."

He thought of Rosalie - she looked like her mom, but also like her dad. From her mother's first marriage, she had Kevin. His parents split as soon as he was a young kid, and his mother remarried. She had Rosalie, and then her parents adopted Laddie as a baby when they were lonely and childless.

"It's not that I don't want her to be a vampire."

"And I know that. You're only wondering if she would want that."

"Yes."

"We'll worry about that later."

"And where's Marko?" Dwayne asked.

"Asleep. Leave him alone - he feels bad for what he did," Paul replied, and then stood up. "We need to join him. It's almost sunrise."

Dwayne stood up himself, thinking about Rosalie. He wasn't sure how Rosalie would react to being asked to be a vampire for the rest of eternity.


	36. Chapter 36

**_"She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys she calls friends, how they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat. Some dance to remember, some dance to forget." -The Eagles_**

Hotel California

It was afternoon and Rosalie was tired - Tom had switched her schedule so that she worked days now, and she got off an hour before sunset. She didn't mind it too much because she had already told Tom school was starting and she might only get to work weekends, and this was how she was to make up for time lost.

Cindy was waiting for her outside the store when she walked out.

"Hey, what's up?" she asked, walking in step with Rosalie. "How've you been?"

"Tired, mostly," Rosalie replied.

"Sorry. Hey, do you want to go night swimming with me next week? I haven't done it in a while and usually the beaches aren't so crowded at night." Rosalie smiled as she looked up at Cindy, although her mind was more preoccupied with other things.

"That sounds like a lot of fun. I'd love to."

"Great! I'm looking forward to it - just make sure to bring a swimsuit next Friday. And hey, how're things going with you and Dwayne?" Cindy asked, and a light blush came over Rosalie's cheeks. "I'm taking that as a good sign."

"It's been going well," Rosalie replied, and decided to leave out the part where he kept her from getting eaten by Marko. "What about you and Marko, hm? You never talk about it."

"I just don't want people to think it's all I care about," Cindy said, "I do care about it, though. Don't be mistaken."

"I know it's not, don't worry."

"Okay. But yeah, things have been going well for us." She paused when she realized they were right in front of the comic store. Rosalie instantly felt regret, realizing she hadn't talked to them in weeks. She hadn't meant to.

"Looks like someone took a break from their vampires," Edgar said, walking from behind a shelf with crossed arms. "You've completely forgotten about us."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, it's just-" Edgar cut off Rosalie.

"Save it." She sighed and watched as Edgar walked away from her. She moved her gaze to Alan. He wouldn't even bring his gaze up to look at her.

"Edgar, she really _is _sorry. And I am, too." He glared at Cindy.

"I'm sure," he replied sarcastically, and walked further into the store. Cindy sighed and Rosalie shook her head.

"Look, I'm gonna head home."

"Are you-"

"I'm fine." She walked from the store as tears came to her eyes, and further down the boardwalk until she was away from the chaos. Rosalie hadn't meant to abandon them the way she did - she did, of course, like them. She felt horrible for leaving them for her "brothers", as she now thought of them.

She didn't realize she was headed towards the bridge where she met them until she was on the all-too familiar dirt path, the tracks ahead in the distance. By this time night had fallen and the moon was hidden by clouds. Rosalie walked to the same place she had been months ago and sat down on the metalwork, legs swinging over the side where the fog gathered to hide the ground below.

"How did I know you would be here?" Rosalie didn't jump - she knew it was just David.

"I made a mistake," she replied, knowing she couldn't hide anything from him. "I abandoned my friends, right when they may have needed me. I'm a shitty person."

"You realized you did something wrong, and know you shouldn't have. Shitty people don't do that."

"Yeah, but-"

"You did something shitty. It doesn't make _you_ a shitty person if you apologize for it. You just have to let those two accept it." Rosalie went quiet as she looked over at him, then back to her feet.

"How've you been?" she asked.

"Fine. How's the shoulder." She lowered her sleeve to show him the scabbing cut under the bandage. "Better, I see."

"Yeah, and it feels the part. Where's the others?"

"Dwayne's at the cave with Marko. Paul is out." Rosalie nodded and then swung her legs back over the metal railing to stand up.

"Can I go see them?" she asked. David turned and walked away, Rosalie following. She knew he was letting her, even if he didn't voice his answer. He took her to the cave, which was a short distance away, and she was quiet for most of the ride there. She wasn't sure what to say and David knew that.

"Just to warn you, Marko feels bad," David said once they were about to enter the cave.

"I know he didn't mean to do it," Rosalie replied, and took David's offered hand to jump into the cave. As soon as she met Marko's eyes, he turned away and moved until he was at the far end of the cave. Rosalie sighed.

"Marko, I know you're not going to eat me intentionally," she said, and moved closer to him. He crossed his arms. "It was an accident. Come on."

He didn't budge.

"Alright, then. I guess that means you won't get to see the cassette I brought you." She turned and Marko was right behind her, eyes lit up. She jumped back. "Jesus!"

"Oops?" His familiar smile was back and she heard Dwayne laughing. Rosalie pulled out a Judas Priest cassette and Marko let out a noise of approval. "Best little sister ever."

"Thank you," Rosalie replied with a smile, and then moved to stand next to Dwayne. When she looked over at David, however, she noticed that his eyes were set directly on her own. She felt her stomach drop. "David?"

"I have an idea to present to you," he said, and walked over to her. She watched him with a mix of curiosity and fear. "I speak for us all when we say we don't want you to risk getting eaten again. We want you to join us."

Rosalie froze completely, and her jaw dropped slightly. She had never even thought about being a vampire - it wasn't something she ever wanted to be, to survive off the blood of others. She would live forever, and never get to see the sunlight again . . .

"I can't stand to see my parents anymore upset than before," Rosalie said. "They'll lose me again."

David's eyes went darker.

"As if," he replied, and when Rosalie opened her mouth to ask him about it, he moved on. "_We're_ your family, Rosalie. Your _true _family."

"It's not that I don't realize that. I still have Laddie - I can't just leave him. I love him." Rosalie closed her mouth and looked to the ground.

"He could stay here." Rosalie shook her head and turned her back to them.

"I can't do it," she said. "It's not that I wouldn't mind it, it's just . . . I can't. For Laddie."

David sighed, tilting his head. Dwayne wondered if he was about to tell her the truth, once and for all.

"He would be fine. You could still see him," he argued, and then moved until he was directly in front of Rosalie with his eyes on hers. "You're almost one of us."

"I'm sorry." She shook her head, and David walked away from her.

"I'll be waiting for you to tell me when." He turned and sent her a smirk before leaving the cave. Shortly after, Marko did as well.

"You understand, don't you?" Rosalie asked as she looked over at Dwayne.

"Yes." Rosalie nodded and sighed, then noticed Paul's bike was parked in a corner of the cave. Tools were laying out and Rosalie raised an eyebrow. "I'm working on it."

"Can I watch?" Rosalie asked, and Dwayne raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah." She sat on a ledge of the cliff that was quite roomy and overlooked the area. Dwayne slid off his jacket and Rosalie watched as he slid under the bike with a wrench. She curiously watched him work without once growing bored. She didn't mind the silence either - she found it calming, in fact, just to be in a calm place with someone she loved.

She glanced over and spotted an old notebook covered in dirt and a few pencils, and smiled to herself. She picked them up and glanced down at Dwayne, still busy at work.

She began to sketch lightly, glancing from the paper and down to Dwayne's lower body sticking out from under the bike. She started with the face first, working from memory - his dark eyes, face that hid his true self from the world.

Dwayne slid out from under the bike and looked up at Rosalie.

"I'm your model, huh?" Rosalie glared down at him and the smile widened.

"_Please_, stay out of my head!" she said and placed the notebook down roughly.

"If I had ten dollars for every time you said that." Rosalie rolled her eyes and jumped down from the ledge with her arms crossed. She turned to leave only to find Dwayne standing directly behind her. "Little Bob Ross."

"I don't paint."

"But you're an artist." She put on her best mad face but it didn't work. "And you should show me your drawing."

"It's not done yet. When it is, I promise I will." She paused for a moment. "Do you need an assistant with Paul's bike?"

"Not necessarily, but I'll take the chance to have a look at something else while I'm on the ground." When he wiggled his eyebrows, Rosalie scoffed and her jaw dropped.

"Paul's supposed to be the dirty one, not you!"


	37. Chapter 37

**_"But what is this game that you play when all that your trying to say is that you're lonely, in need of a friend." -Def Leppard_**

Sorrow Is A Woman

_We need to talk tonight. _Rosalie groaned in her sleep, rolling over as her legs twisted further into her blankets. She had been asleep for a few hours that night, the moonlight streaming in through the windows. Her eyebrows knitted together, but didn't hear the door to her bedroom crack open.

_Wake up **right now**._ When she felt her hair being removed from her face, she popped open her eyes with a gasp and sat up straight. Amy hovered over her still wearing the same outfit from that morning.

"What're you doing?" Rosalie asked through gasps of breath.

"I wasn't sure if you were home," Amy replied in an indifferent voice. "Are you going out?"

"Yeah. I . . . I was just getting a nap in first." She held a hand up to her heart. It was beating rapidly.

"Well, I'm sorry I scared you. You know the rules - be home at -"

"Yeah, I know." Amy pursed her lips and left the room. Rosalie ran a hand over her forehead to feel a thin layer of sweat and then stood up from her bed. She was mad to be losing sleep, and also confused as to why Amy was in her room at one in the morning, and even allowing her to go out when it was so late.

_Meet me outside. Five minutes. _

_**David, what's this about?** _He didn't respond and Rosalie quickly changed into a pair of shorts and a loose blouse. When she stepped outside onto the porch, David was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.

"Is something wrong?" Rosalie asked quietly. "Why'd you wake me up?"

"It's nighttime. Daytime is when you sleep."

"For you." She let out a scoff.

"I didn't just wake you up because I could. I told you, we needed to have a talk."

"Is this about the vampire thing?" she walked in step with him but struggled to keep up at his pace.

"No." She sighed and he stopped at the end of the block. "You cannot tell anyone about this."

"I feel like I've heard that line before." She smiled good-heartedly and David sighed.

"The boys are here. They'll need to be here for this." Rosalie furrowed her eyebrows and noticed the boys waiting on their bikes near the edge of the forest. David helped Rosalie onto the bike before speeding up to them. When Rosalie noticed that Paul failed to make an innuendo, she felt nervous. And when Dwayne didn't meet her gaze she only felt more anxious about what was about to happen.

They all walked into the forest and she leaned against a tree to look at them.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Don't worry - you're ready for this." She opened her mouth to reply when David placed a hand on her shoulder and darkness filled her vision. When she opened her eyes, she was back in her room. Only this time, the walls were freshly painted pink, and toys were scattered everywhere, and there was an oddly familiar little girl playing with two dolls.

When Rosalie had been young, she always wore her hair in pigtails, and she had bangs - this little girl had the exact same hairstyle, and the same eyes.

Suddenly she turned to look out the window, where David was crouched as he watched her. For a moment he froze as they met eyes. Young Rosalie stood from her place and moved to the window with a small smile perking her lips.

She pressed one firm hand to the window, the smile still etched across her cheeks.

_"Hello!" _she let out with a giggle, and David's lips grew into a genuine smile. He pressed one of his hands to the glass.

_"Hi, Rosalie." _

With a gasp, Rosalie gripped the trunk of the tree and looked up at David.

"What the hell was that?" she asked. "You told me the first time we met was-"

"When you met the others, and discovered the cave. I knew you long before that."

"What?" He pressed his hand to her shoulder again and she let out a small gasp.

This time, things were different - Young Rosalie was still in her room, playing with Barbies in her dollhouse when David entered the room through the window. She turned around at the noise and her eyes immediately lit up with joy.

_"Brother!" _she cried, jumping up to hug him. He hugged her back and lifted her into the air before sitting down in front of the dollhouse. Rosalie remained on his lap and reached for her favorite Barbie._ "Play with me!" _

David smiled and picked up one of the dolls, watching as Rosalie's eyes lit up with excitement as she recited a scenario.

_"Rose, shouldn't you be in bed?" _

_"I like to play, though. I love to play with you!" _David smiled again.

_"I know you do." _She cuddled up to his coat sleeve with a content smile and closed her eyes. David brushed back her hair. _"You remind me of my sister before she died. You look so much like her. Must be the blood." _

"Stop doing that!" Rosalie screamed, running around to the other side of the tree. "I don't understand!"

David nodded at Dwayne, and he came around the tree to take Rosalie gently by the waist. She squirmed as she met eyes with David.  
"You're my blood, Rosalie. A distant niece." She stopped struggling and fell against Dwayne with her mouth hanging open in shock.

"You're- you're lying," she said half-heartedly. Tears filled her eyes. "It's not true."

"It is. My sister is your grandmother." She said nothing and her legs gave out from under her. Dwayne supported her so she was still standing.

"Then why . . . why would you send me away? If I was your sister? If Carlie was your cousin?" she asked with a knot still lodged in her throat.

"It's not pretty."

"Tell me."

He sighed, and then kicked over a pebble.

"Your parents threatened to kill you."

". . . They wouldn't."

"And how can you be so sure?" David asked, and Rosalie let a few tears drop. "Rosalie, listen to me. You're in danger around them. They already know you have been with me, and they won't take it lightly."

"This is a dream, isn't it?" Rosalie asked.

"It isn't," Dwayne replied, and she shoved him away. The tears kept falling and she felt humiliated.

"Stay away from me," she said, pointing to David. "Just stay away!"

"You know I won't." She clenched her jaw and looked around at the group of boys.

"And I'm sure you all already knew this?" They didn't respond. "And you waited this long to tell me?"

"With good reason."

"Oh, bullshit!" David raised an eyebrow in warning at her tone. She quieted down and shoved Paul's comforting hand from her shoulder.

"Calm down." She glanced over at Dwayne, then back to David.

"You got a cigarette?" He raised an eyebrow, and Dwayne looked at her curiously.

"You don't smoke," David said matter-of-factly.

"Used to." It was true - when she was 14, she had taken up the habit of smoking when she and a close friend stole a carton from Carlie. When Carlie found out a year later that Rosalie was addicted, she forced her to stop. Rosalie's addiction never truly ended as she sometimes felt the craving for a cigarette, and now was one of those times.

"They can kill you."

"Ah, well." David shook his head, but pulled out a carton anyways. He handed her a cigarette and lit it once it was at her mouth. Dwayne watched as she took a shaky breath, exhaling without so much as a cough. "Thanks."

"Carlie made you stop for a reason."

"And you're in my head again, Paul. Thanks." She took another drag before stomping out the cigarette under her boot. "I'm sorry for acting like a bitch. I'm not meaning to."

"It was expected. Just don't think this is a free pass." Rosalie expected that from David, and wasn't surprised.

"I know that. But this doesn't change my mind about turning. Not until I figure things out on my own."

"Come on, I'll take you home," Dwayne said right as Rosalie thought to leave. David looked at her emotionless as she walked away, Dwayne following after. When they were far enough from the woods, she stopped.

"He wasn't lying, was he?"

"He wouldn't lie to you." She nodded and bit her lip.

"Right, right . . . I guess it makes more sense now. And I finally got the answers I wanted at last." She let out a dry laugh, then put her head in the crook of his neck. "I'm sure he wasn't impressed when you first told him you imprinted, huh?"

"It took time, yes. In the end, though, he accepted it." Dwayne used his hand to lift her face. "He knows I wouldn't do anything intentional to hurt you."

"I do, too." She softly kissed his exposed neck before moving to his motorbike with a heavy heart, and disbelief still lingering in the air.


	38. Chapter 38

_**"Thank you for the way you've been, each and every night, thank you for most everything." -Mott The Hoople**_

You Are One Of Us

Rosalie called Cindy an hour before the sun set after leaving David in the woods the previous day - she wanted to get her mind off the subject as well as spend time with her closest friend. To her luck, Cindy didn't have to work that day, and they had already planned to go night-swimming. Cindy agreed to meet her on the boardwalk in an hour, and Rosalie packed a quick bag before heading down the stairs.

"Going out?" Amy called from the kitchen without turning from the sink full of dishes. Rosalie stopped, remembering what David had told her.

"I'm meeting Cindy on the boardwalk. Is that alright?" Rosalie asked, unable to keep the tight tone from her voice. Amy turned around with a smile.

"Of course. Be careful, sweetie." The tone of her voice made Rosalie shudder internally as she left the house. She couldn't remember Amy ever sounding like that, like she knew something she wasn't supposed to.

When Rosalie arrived at the entrance to the boardwalk, Cindy was leaning against one of the pillars as she held a cigarette to her lips.

"Shit, sorry," Cindy mumbled, quickly stomping it out. "I don't know if you like smoking."

Rosalie almost laughed aloud.

"Can you bum me one?" Cindy did a double-take, smiled, and pulled out the carton from her back pocket.

"That's surprising to me," she said, holding one out to Rosalie, "You don't strike me as the smoking type."

"I quit for a little while, then started back up." She lit the cigarette and watched tourists enter the boardwalk.

"Oh. Well, are you excited to swim tonight? It's so much fun!"

"I actually am. I'm looking forward to today!" Rosalie smiled, and then took a puff from her cigarette.

"I am, too. We'll have to get some ice cream down on the beach." Rosalie nodded and took one final puff before stomping out her cigarette under her shoe. Cindy waited patiently and the pair walked into the boardwalk, making their way down to the beach. Night had fallen and they watched other laughing kids make their way to the beach.

They found a secluded spot and set their things down, and Rosalie shyly tugged at the swimsuit under her top. It had been a long time since she wore a two-piece swimsuit, and the first time she was setting foot in the ocean. Cindy removed her outfit to reveal a one-piece swimsuit that hugged her curves in all the right places and showed off her tan complexion. She laughed when she noticed Rosalie slowly removing her top.

"What? Nervous?"

"It's just been a while since I've worn a swimsuit." She finally pulled off the top and Cindy let out a wolf-whistle.

"I don't see what you're worried about." Rosalie shrugged, and Cindy darted into the ocean with a laugh. She ran until the water was up to her knees and fell over, disappearing below the waves for a few seconds before her head popped up again.

"Come on! The water's just fine!" Rosalie smiled brightly before running after her friend. She trudged through the water until she was waist-deep with Cindy, who was splashing around and jumping at the waves. The water was somewhat cold, but Rosalie didn't mind - she mostly enjoyed looking at the moonlit sky lingering above.

"Swimming is one of my favorite things," Cindy said with a sigh, moving to float on her back. Rosalie lazily brought her fingertips over the water, lost in her own thoughts.

_Well damn, looks like I got here at just the right time. _Rosalie moved from her floating position to look at the beach, and once she did she noticed the boys watching from where they had placed their things.

_**Paul, you're such a perv. You better watch out, though - you'll have two vampires after you.** _She hummed to herself and turned back to Cindy.

"Have you heard of Mott The Hoople?" Rosalie asked, and felt Dwayne's gaze burning into her.

"Of course!" Cindy moved until she was standing back on her feet, and smiled once she noticed Marko standing on the beach. "Damn, we haven't even been here ten minutes."

"Eh, I'm used to them barging in." Rosalie jumped up when she felt Cindy pinch her leg. She smirked as Cindy swan away, following after as the war ensued. They laughed like school girls as she chased each other back and forth through the water until Cindy caught Rosalie's leg and kept her from swimming away. It didn't last however, because Cindy threw her arms up and fell back.

"A fucking fish just touched me!" she yelled, and Rosalie couldn't let the peel of giggles stop from escaping. Cindy balanced herself again and started to leave the water. "I'm out!"

"Hey, wait!" Rosalie followed after, trudging through the water after her until they were both on the beach again.

"That was an interesting sight," David said with a smirk, and Rosalie looked at him uncomfortably.

"Sorry, I was having fun," she replied, and Cindy slipped on her shirt before Marko slung an arm over her shoulders. She giggled when he kissed her nose.

"I'll see you later, Rose." Cindy picked up her things and Marko helped her onto the back of his bike, and they were gone sooner than she thought. Rosalie suddenly felt exposed in her swimsuit in front of the three boys.

"Don't think I haven't forgotten about the other night," Rosalie said, and pulled her tank top over her head.

"I never thought you would. Red's a nice color on you, by the way." Rosalie rolled her eyes, watching as David hopped on his bike. Paul winked at her as if knowing something she didn't before following suit.

"Just think about what I've told you." He started his bike and rode off into the night, attracting the stares of several people. Rosalie was left alone with Dwayne.

"He's right." Rosalie brought her eyes up to him. "Red is one hell of a color on you."

"You think so?" She pulled on her long skirt, then slipped on her converse. Her hair was still damp but she didn't mind. She sighed and sat down on the beach, and Dwayne sat next to her. "What do you think I should do? About David?"

"He's your family, Rose. He wouldn't lie to you about your parents." She sighed, interlacing her fingers with his.

"But I can't just leave Laddie. I know that my parents would hurt him if I left."

"Who said he couldn't come with?" She paused, thinking over the question.

"Won't they notice if he's gone?"

"We're excellent at hiding and covering our tracks." She bit her lip in thought and shook her head.

"I'll think about it, alright? _Really_ think about it." He nodded and looked at the moon. She leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Understandable. I have something to give you." She lifted her head to look at him curiously, and he had a small smile on his lips. He broke their hands apart and Rosalie noticed something on his pinky finger - a gold ring with a ruby red stone in the middle. He removed it from his finger and Rosalie's eyes went wide. "Trust me, I'm not asking you to marry me."

"Oh, thank god," she replied with a hand over her heart. "You scared me."

"No, marriage is overrated." He grabbed Rosalie's hand and slid the ring onto her finger. She brought her hand up to examine the ring with a smile. "I found it the other night, and it reminded me of something you'd like."

"I love it. Thank you!" She met his gaze and kissed him softly, then pulled back to look at the ring again. "It's incredibly beautiful."

"Not nearly as much as you." Rosalie playfully shoved his shoulder with her own.

"Cheesy. But thank you." He slung one arm over her shoulder and she moved closer to his chest, staring at the moon with content.


	39. Chapter 39

**_"Life, it seems, will fade away, drifting further every day, getting lost within myself - nothing matters, no one else . . ." -Metallica_**

Fade To Black

She thought about the offer all of Saturday. Rosalie went to work and was distracted throughout the day, thinking about the offer, and later on when she arrived back at home at dark.

**_I'm staying in tonight_,** she thought to Dwayne._ **I love you. **_

_I love you too._ She would've smiled at the response had the circumstances been different. Sadly, however, they weren't. She was mulling over every last word David had said to her, even overthinking.

Rosalie was scared to turn. She knew that, if she drank his blood, she would love forever. She would never see the sun again, and if she did she would burn to death. She would have to feed on the blood of others. She would be with her brothers for the rest of her life for all eternity.

She had things she wanted to do in life: Rosalie wished to attend college, to have a child someday. She wished to travel the world, to experience things she never heard of. She knew she would be able to do all those things as a vampire, of course, but not daylight activities that she would enjoy.

And then there was the issue of Laddie. There was no way she would leave them with her parents, she had decided. She knew he couldn't stay there with them, especially if they were as dangerous as David said. Laddie was young and there was no possible way she would allow him to turn. He was too young, and didn't understand. She would take him with her anywhere, yes, but never curse him to be a child forever.

Rosalie sighed and shifted on her bed as her stomach grumbled.

_I wonder if my parents know what's been going on_, she thought to herself, and then sat up on the bed. _Chips sound fantastic right now. _

She stood up from her bed and walked quietly out of her room, down the hallway and down the winding stairs. When she had reached the landing she was much more noisy, taking heavy steps to the cupboards. When she had pulled down the chips the front door opened and Kevin grunted as he set his keys onto the rack on the wall.

"Have fun?" Rosalie asked as he walked through the dining room to the kitchen.

"Shut the hell up." She turned with a raised eyebrow, genuine surprise written across her features.

"Did I piss you off somehow?" He scoffed.

"Why don't you - why don't you just . . ." He hiccuped. "Run off with your boyfriends."

Horror struck her heart as she realized he knew about the boys.

"They aren't my boyfriends."

"You sure? Slut." She had never been called a slut in her life - Rosalie had never given anyone a reason to. But now that her brother was doing so . . . it stung.

"Please, don't call me that."

"It's true." He propped himself up on the wall and burped loudly. "Pathetic whore."

"At least I'm not a fucking moron who does nothing but drink all the time," Rosalie snapped, whipping around to glare at him. His eyes narrowed and he straightened out.

"What?"

"You heard me, asshole. I said -" He took two wide steps forward and hit her across the shoulder with his balled fist. Rosalie fell back onto her bottom on the kitchen floor, holding her shoulder in pain as she looked up at Kevin. She could feel the bruise already forming on her shoulder and collarbone, but the fear and shock outweighed the pain.

Suddenly the kitchen lights turned on and Amy stood in the entrance of the kitchen.

"What's going on in here?" she asked, and didn't sound at all groggy.

"He . . . He just hit me!" Rosalie choked out, hand still on her shoulder.

"Oh, bullshit!" Kevin replied. "She's such a liar!"

"I'm not lying!"

"Rosalie, go upstairs and go to bed."

"What? Are you siding with him?" she pracitcally yelled, standing up. She pulled down her sleeve and of course, her shoulder had bruised already. "Look! I didn't do this!"

"Go upstairs. _Now_." Rosalie glared harshly at Amy, then brushed past her to run up the stairs. Tears fell from her eyes and she slammed her bedroom door as hard as she could before letting out an angry scream.

"What happened." She nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Paul sitting outside of her window, watching with a curious gaze in his eyes. Fear coursed through her again and she did everything she could to block him out of her mind. "You've never done that. Tell me what's going on."

"I hate her," Rosalie seethed, pacing the room before throwing a trinket across the room. "And I hate Kevin! They're pinning everything on me!"

Paul didn't say anything and just watched her silently as more tears fell. She then noticed he hadn't entered the room.

"Come in." He hopped through the window and closed it behind him. "Where's Dwayne?"

"He's hunting with David. Do you want me to find him?"

"No . . . no. I don't want him to see me like this." She sniffled, then put her hands up to her eyes as more tears fell. "They've never done this before. I don't know why they suddenly quit being nice."

"Maybe they know about us," he suggested, and Rosalie recalled what Kevin had said.

"Kevin does. But he doesn't know about . . . you know . . . or I don't think so." Paul nodded lightly, then sat down on the floor and beckoned for Rosalie to join him. She did and sat across from him.

"I think I know something to help you out." She raised an eyebrow, then watched as he pulled out a joint. Her eyes went wide.

"Drugs? Really? I smoke but . . . I don't know." She bit her lip.  
"It's relaxing, and it's the best damn drug there is. Come on." Rosalie looked to the door and then to Paul before taking the joint. He smiled and lit the end of it for her. "Just smoke it like a regular cigarette."

She did, and felt the familiar tingle in her lungs as she inhaled. Only this was different than a cigarette and she coughed up the smoke after holding it in for a few seconds.

"Now what?" she asked as he took it back, drawing out a hit of his own.

"Wait a minute." Rosalie did, and suddenly felt incredibly relaxed. The world seemed to melt away from her, the problems leaving her mind. She laid back on the floor with a content sigh.

"Damn," she whispered, and then raised her hands above her head to look at them. "You know . . . we should form a band."

"What?" he asked with a laugh.

"A band! I could be the singer . . . I can sometimes sing, like lullabies . . . and you could do whatever. Learn drums." She laughed lightly and rolled onto her side, dragging her hands over the carpet. "This is so soft . . . I love it . . ."

"Girl, you have the best reaction to pot I've ever seen." She laughed again and looked up at him.

"Does my boy smoke?"

"Dwayne?"

"Yeah, him. He has such fantastic hair. And wow, don't even get me started on those eyes . . . so beautiful."

"Sometimes he does." Paul laid on the ground with his head next to hers, and they both stared at the ceiling.

"What if grapes could talk? Do you think they'd hate us?"

"We eat them. Of course they would."

"Paul, I'm hungry."

"Normal reaction." He stood up as if unaffected by the weed, and held out a hand for Rosalie to take. "I'll take you to the boardwalk to get you something to eat."


	40. Chapter 40

**_"Please trip them gently, they don't like to fall." -David Bowie_**

After All

Rosalie had thought Kevin hitting her had been a one-time thing, something he did purely out of drunkenness. She kept that firm belief when she stayed in her room for the night.

She decided she wouldn't smoke pot unless she was with Paul or the other boys. With Paul, she could be herself and he would make sure she didn't wander too far from him or get too lost. She enjoyed the feeling but knew it wouldn't be something she'd do everyday.

When Rosalie heard something get knocked over downstairs she knew that Kevin was home, and for some reason decided to investigate the noise. All she wanted to do was make sure it really _was_ Kevin, and _not _someone trying to steal from them.

She stood at the top of the stairs and looked at Kevin, fumbling around in the dark with a beer bottle still in his hands. She sighed and shook her head, earning his attention. He then looked up at her with a glare.

"What?" he sneered, making his way up the stairs. "I drink. So fucking what."

"I thought there might've been a burglar." He stopped at the top of the stairs and bumped against her roughly. She fell against the wall, and gasped when he took her roughly by the arms.

"Fucking moron. I'm surprised you aren't out getting stuffed." She turned her head as the stench of alcohol hit her nostrils.

"I told you. I'm not -" He shook her and she tried to free herself from his grip. "Let me go!"

"You think I like doing this?" he asked, and gripped her arms harder. "Fucking bitch. You wanna be let go? Got it."

He adjusted until her back was facing open air, then gave her a rough shove. Rosalie screamed when she felt herself falling down the stairs, rolling until she was at the bottom. She groaned and tears pricked her eyes. When she turned to look back up the stairs, Amy was standing at the top of the stairs with her arms crossed.

"Stay away from David, Arabella," she said coldly, and Rosalie's hairs on her arm stood up. "This is a warning to you."

She turned on her heels and walked down the hallway, and Kevin laughed as he watched Rosalie scramble to her feet. Her whole body hurt all over but she didn't care - Rosalie was focused on getting the hell out of the house. She ran to the door as fast as she was able to, and ran into the middle of the road with sobs leaving her chest.

She didn't know where to go other than one place - Cindy's. She headed in that direction and once the house came into view, breathed a sigh of relief when the living room window was alight with the glow of a lamp.

She moved up the front porch steps and then knocked on the door urgently. When there wasn't a response, she did so again and heard the familiar grumbling of Cindy behind the door.

"I heard you the -" She stopped, eyes going wide when she saw Rosalie standing in front of her. "Holy shit, what happened?"

Rosalie shook her head and Cindy stepped aside to let her in. Once the door was shut, Cindy pulled her into a tight embrace with one hand petting back her hair. Rosalie let the tears fall and the sobs escape, louder than before. She closed her eyes and buried her face in Cindy's shoulder.

"Rose? What the hell happened?" She didn't look up, even at Marko's voice from behind Cindy. Cindy shushed Rosalie lightly and ushered her towards the living room. Once sitting, Cindy pulled back slightly to look Rosalie in the eyes.

"He . . . He pushed me down the stairs."

"What? Who?" Cindy asked with furrowed eyebrows. Rosalie took a deep breath.

"Kevin."

"What? Why would he do that?" Rosalie said nothing, instead buried her face in her hands. Cindy stood up. "I'll be right back. Stay here, alright?"

Cindy walked out of the living room and Marko moved to sit next to Rosalie. Although her cheek was bleeding and there was a scratch along her arm, he didn't change this time. Rosalie assumed he'd fed.

**_They know._ **Marko shifted with a small sigh as if he'd expected this.

_You should let me go show them who's boss. Show them not to fuck with you. _

**_Please don't. And don't tell Dwayne - I don't want him to -_**

_Rosalie, I'm telling Dwayne. End of story. _She knew better than to argue with him as he stood up, Cindy walking back into the living room with an ice pack and first aid kit.

"I'm gonna go get Dwayne and tell him what's going on. I'll be back." He strode out of the house and Cindy walked over to Rosalie and sat next to her.

"So he pushed you down the stairs?" she asked quietly, and opened the container. "Hold still, please."

"Yeah . . ." She hissed softly as Cindy disinfected her cheek, and later her arm.

"Fucking dick. You're staying here tonight and I'll talk to my parents tomorrow to see if you can stay longer."

"But-"

"But nothing. We'll worry about things tomorrow, but for now let me just take care of you."

"Are your parents home?"

"No. They're visiting my grandparents about an hour away, but they'll be home tomorrow afternoon."

"I'm sorry that I, you know, barged in and everything."

"Oh, no, no, no, no! Don't be sorry. I know you wouldn't have done anything like this on purpose, and I don't mind. Do you need a shower before I put the bandage on? I have some clothes you can borrow."

"Are you sure?" Rosalie asked, and Cindy nodded as she stood up.

"Of course." They walked up the stairs and stopped at Cindy's room, and she pulled out a pair of socks, a t-shirt, and athletic shorts. She handed them over to Rosalie and led her into the bathroom. "Towels are on the shelf, and you just turn the handle to make the shower go on."

"Thank you so much," Rosalie said, and hugged her tightly. Cindy hugged back as well, sent her a smile, and shut the bathroom door quietly on her way out.

Rosalie turned on the shower and stood under the hot water, letting it run down her body for a few minutes before cleaning herself and her hair. She tried to process everything that had just happened - being shoved down the stairs, Amy's words . . .

When she heard a door slam from the first floor, she jumped and turned off the water. Quickly tying a towel around her waist, Rosalie stepped from the shower and peeked her head out of the bathroom door.

"Where's she at?" Rosalie's stomach dropped as she heard Dwayne's footsteps echoing through the house. "Is she okay?"

"She's upstairs. She'll be down in a minute," David said calmly, and Rosalie assumed he had read her mind. There were footsteps on the stairs and Rosalie shut the door again to change. There was a knock on the other side as she slipped on the shorts Cindy had given her.

"Hold on," she said quietly, and pulled the t-shirt over her head. As soon as she had opened the door, hair still wet from the shower, she was pulled tightly against Dwayne's chest.

"What happened?" he asked, pulled back after a second with her face in his hands. He ran his thumb over the cut on her cheek, and anger sparked in his eyes.

"I'm sure you already know," she replied with a weak laugh.

"I'm going to kill the both of them."

"Dwayne . . . no. You're just mad right now."

"No, they aren't going to get away with hurting you just because you're with us." She pursed her lips and shook her head, but said nothing more. She knew there was no way she could turn Dwayne from handling the situation how he wanted to.

"At least wait, then," she said at last, moving to walk down the dark hallway. "Wait until I get Laddie out of there. I'm not leaving him with Amy."

"Do you want me to go get him now?" he asked, and Rosalie saw he had a soft spot for him.

"They'll know if he's gone."

"They've never truly loved him. They're more focused on you right now." Rosalie bit her lip.

"Not yet. And I have to go back soon anyways."

"You're not going back there alone."

"How did I know you'd say that?" she asked, but he didn't faze his stare on her. "I won't go back alone, I promise."

Dwayne simply sighed and followed her down the stairs, into the living room. Once she had arrived there, David stood from his place and Paul looked at her from the windowsill sadly. David examined her face, then lifted her arm to look at the cut there.

"You aren't going back there. End of story," David said, and Rosalie knew better than to argue. "If you need your things, I'll take you there, or someone else can."

"I know." She brushed past David to sit on the couch next to Cindy. Dwayne sat on the armrest close to her. "I believe you now, for the record."

To her surprise, David didn't hold the familiar smirk on his lips at her admitting he was right. Instead, the only thing that lingered in his eyes was the all-too familiar anger.


	41. Chapter 41

**_"I'm leavin' again, long way to go, it's a sad feeling, we already know. Ticket's bought and the contract's signed and it's too late to change my mind." -Foghat_**

Leavin' Again

The next morning, Rosalie woke up laying next to Cindy in her bed. Cindy was still fast asleep with a blanket pulled closely to her chest. Rosalie blinked and looked around the room, from the bookshelves to the posters on the walls and then back to the girl. She recalled the memories of the previous night and frowned in response as she sat up. Sunlight streamed through the windows and caused Rosalie to shield her eyes from their harsh rays.

"Cindy," Rosalie whispered, shaking her shoulder. Cindy groaned and rolled over, pulling a pillow over her head. Rosalie stood up and stretched before heading downstairs to the kitchen. She decided that since Cindy was kind enough to have her over, she would make her breakfast.

Rosalie wasn't the best cook - in fact, she had been known for burning a few cupcakes in her childhood or spilling flour all over the kitchen counter. But watching Carlie for years had taught her a few things and she knew how to make a good breakfast.

She searched the fridge and found eggs, bacon, and a few other ingredients she could use to make something.

She spent the next thirty minutes frying bacon, making toast, and cooking over-easy eggs with salt and pepper. She heard someone on the stairs right as she finished the bacon and removed the first egg from the pan.

"You sweetheart, you didn't have to make breakfast!" Cindy said with a bright smile as Rosalie nodded to a plate already filled with food.

"I figured it'd be a nice gesture. Plus, you've been so nice to me and I wanted to show you I appreciate it."

"Best houseguest ever," Cindy said, and took the first bite of her eggs. Rosalie finished the last egg and put it on a plate of her own before doing the dishes she had dirtied, drying them, and putting them away. She sat down when Cindy was halfway through her plate. "I've been thinking."

"Yeah?"

"I'm thinking my dad will let you stay for a while if you need to. He likes you. I'm going to explain to him what happened, and then if you need to get your clothes or other things you want that're yours, then we can go get them. Laddie's a trickier part."

"I think I'll sneak him out at night," Rosalie said. "Dwayne offered to do it himself, but I might just have him help me."

"Good idea. I'm willing to help, too. We could be like international ninjas, you know? Operation: Save Laddie." Rosalie laughed lightly as she watched Cindy karate-chop the air, then go back to munching on her bacon.

"I'm gonna talk to the boys about it tonight, see what they think."

"Sounds like a plan. Well, I don't have to work today. Do you?"

"Yeah, in about an hour. I need to head out." She stood up and then realized she didn't have her clothes. "Fuck. I don't have my uniform or anything."

"Do you want me to walk with you to your house?" Cindy asked cautiously. "If you don't want to go there . . . I'll understand."

"No, it's fine. I can get some of my things out of there that way, too." Cindy nodded and led Rosalie out of the house and towards her red car. Rosalie got into the passenger seat and Cindy drove quickly over to the house.

They sat outside for a few minutes, Rosalie staring up at the house in dread and wondering what would happen once inside.

"Take your time, alright? No rush." Rosalie nodded, then reached for the car door handle and walked up the front steps with Cindy behind her. She opened the door and heard her family quietly eating breakfast, then stop once the door opened. Amy suddenly appeared in the doorway and placed a shiny, sickening smile on her face. Her eyes gave her away, though.  
"Oh, Bella, I was so scared!" she said, and Rosalie jumped back as she went to hug her. "I'm glad you're home."

"I'm not staying here," Rosalie snapped, and Amy raised an eyebrow.

"And where will you go?"

"Wherever I can to get away from you." She walked away from Amy and walked up the stairs, ignoring the broken post towards the middle where part of her body had hit. She went to her room first and changed quickly, not caring that Cindy was in the room, and packed a suitcase that Cindy offered to take. Rosalie, who had some of her things ready to go now, then walked down to Laddie's room.

It was typically messy, the bed unmade and toys sprawled everywhere. Rosalie didn't mind and instead, used one of her smaller suitcases to fill it with a few of Laddie's outfits, toys, and books. She didn't grab everything to stop suspicion from Amy from arising, however.

They walked back down the stairs and Cindy followed her back out to the car and put her things in the trunk.

"I'll drive you to work, okay? And I'll leave your bags in my room. Do you want me to go back and pack your other stuff?"

"I don't want to ask too much."

"Trust me, I have nothing to do today." Rosalie smiled and Cindy went towards the boardwalk, and they were outside of the record store five minutes before her shift.

"Thank you for everything, Cindy. It means so much to me," Rosalie said, and Cindy shrugged.

"That's what friends are supposed to do. I know you'd do it for me." Rosalie smiled and then got out of the car, heading into the building. Tom was at the cash register when she walked up, and his smile dropped once he saw the bruises on her face.

"Rosalie, what happened?" he asked, walking over and taking her gently by the shoulder.

"I took a tumble last night," she replied with a sigh. "I know, I'm a sight, huh?"

"You could've called and told me what happened!" he said, then shook his head. "Well, since you're here, I'll just make you work for a few hours, let you off early."

"You don't have to do that," Rosalie said.

"I want to. How about today you work on shipping orders?"

"Sounds fine by me," Rosalie said, relieved she wouldn't have to endure stares from curious customers.


	42. Chapter 42

**_"I put a spell on you, because you're mine, you better stop the thing that you're doin' . . ." -Creedence Clearwater Revival_**

I Put A Spell On You

Later that night, Marko and David headed to the park a few blocks from Cindy's house where they had agreed to meet. Rosalie and Cindy walked there and waited for the sun to drop, and later heard the familiar bikes in the distance before they appeared close to the pavilion where they were sitting.

"How are you?" David asked, walking over as Rosalie hopped from the top of a picnic table.

"Better, I guess. More pissed off to be honest, and ready to get Laddie out of that house."

"You'll have to wait until this has blown over."

"I know, trust me." She sighed, then looked at Marko. He was watching her a bit nervously.

_I'm telling Cindy everything tonight,_ he said and Rosalie understood his attitude immediately.

**_I think she'll take it well. _**

"Rosalie," David said, signalling to his bike. She let out a soft 'oh' and walked over and hopped onto the back. She put her arms around his waist and looked over at Marko and Cindy.

"See you later," Rosalie said, and Cindy smiled and waved as they took off into the night. Rosalie turned back and put her chin on David's shoulder, enjoying the cold summer breeze on her skin. When they reached the cliff, Rosalie removed herself from the bike but David stayed put.

"I'll be back," he said, and Rosalie nodded. "I know you can find your way down there."

"Of course. Thank you." She sent him a small smile and turned as he took off into the night. She walked down the winding staircase, carefully jumping over the fence to get to the mouth of the cave. She entered and managed not to fall once she entered the illuminated area.

"How are you?" Dwayne asked, appearing by her side almost immediately. On her free side stood Paul, who was looking at her carefully.

"Better. Cindy's been helping me out," Rosalie replied, and thought to Laddie. He would be asleep by now, tucked away in bed with his favorite stuffed animal. She felt uncomfortable leaving him in that house as she knew it was very possible they would use him to get back at her.

"He'll be fine, girl," Paul said, and Rosalie moved to sit on the top of the couch. Dwayne sat against her legs, head against her knees. She sighed and Paul sat across from them.

"I'd hate to see him get hurt because of me," Rosalie admitted. "I have to get him out of there soon."

"And you will." Dwayne looked up at her and Paul raised his eyebrow. Rosalie ran her fingers through his hair and he leaned into her touch.

"Can I braid your hair?" Rosalie asked suddenly, and Dwayne let out a small laugh.

"Where did_ that _come from?"

"I don't know." She shrugged her shoulders. "It's just something I've always wanted to do, I guess."

"Go for it."

"Aw, look at the two lovebirds," Paul teased, watching as Rosalie lightly brought her fingers through Dwayne's hair until she had a small section to begin with. "I'm surprised you two haven't screwed yet."

Paul dodged a cassette tape container thrown at his head by Rosalie, and Dwayne smirked as she muttered to herself. He could practically hear the blush on her cheeks.

"You could be making an expired joke, you know." Rosalie raised an eyebrow. "And I know you wouldn't handle that well, huh?"

"Trust me, if you two screwed around, you'd smell just like him." Paul stood from his place across from the pair and sent Rosalie a wink. "I'm hungry. I'll be back later. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

With another wink, he was gone in a few seconds, leaving the two alone.

"What did he mean by that?" Rosalie asked as she began her braid on the side of Dwayne's head.

"It means we mark what's ours, especially when it comes to intimacy," he explained, and Rosalie loosened her grip on his braid as she listened.

"How do you . . ." She didn't have to finish, and he placed a hand on her calf.

"We scratch . . ." He lightly brought his nails against her skin, leaving a trail behind. "We kiss, of course." He left a soft kiss on her knee.

The braid was long forgotten and Dwayne shifted until he had his chest facing her, both hands on her knees. Her heartbeat sped up.

"And we bite." He smirked at her raised heartbeat and gave her a sly smile, and she looked over his face. Rosalie allowed him to move closer to her neck painfully slow, and shivered as he brought his fangs to graze her neck. She couldn't stop the basic instinct to tilt her head back.

He smirked, pulling away and turning back around. Rosalie was more flustered than before.

"Sounds intriguing," she said quietly.

"Does it?" She didn't respond, as she didn't know what to say. She knew for a fact that she loved Dwayne, but she had never really thought about the idea of sex.

There had been times when she had been close to losing her virginity, however - twice. One previous boyfriend had almost convinced her to sleep with him until she caught him with another girl. The other was too afraid to even kiss Rosalie on the cheek.

Rosalie snapped out of her thoughts when Dwayne let out a low growl from the back of his throat.

"God damnit, would you stop hearing my thoughts?" she asked, crossing her arms and moving from the couch. "It gets irritating."

"It's not like I can help it." She went to walk away, but didn't get more than four feet before Dwayne was standing in front of her. "So, you've never thought about it."

"Well, I _do _have other things on my mind." His lips twitched.

"Doesn't everyone?"

"You know what I mean." She turned around and sat back on the couch. "Besides, it's not like I've thought about the general idea of sex."

"And what do you think about it?" A deep blush came over her cheeks and she looked to the ground. Dwayne sat next to her, their knees nearly touching.

"I don't know. I mean . . . what would David do? He's got eyes everywhere."

"What, are you living by WWDD now?" Rosalie glared at Dwayne, but even she couldn't hold back a small laugh.

"That's not very funny."

"You laughed."

"Fuck you." She turned again with a shake of the head. "Anyways . . . it doesn't seem like a bad idea. I just don't think now's the time. I have too much on my mind, and I have to focus on getting Laddie away from Amy."

"Understandable." Dwayne planted a kiss on her head. "We'll get him out of there. I promise."


	43. Chapter 43

**_"I am forever searching high and low, but why does everybody tell me no?" -Queen_**

Lily of the Valley

Rosalie returned home an hour before the sun was to come up, and Cindy was still awake on the couch of her living room. When Rosalie walked in, Cindy didn't move to see who it was. She was staring straight ahead with a lost gaze in her eyes. Rosalie sat next to her and looked at the same spot on the wall.

After a few minutes of silence, Rosalie said, "I was mad at them when they told me."

Cindy finally brought her eyes from the wall with a shake of the head.

"I can't believe it. My boyfriend's a fucking vampire," Cindy said, and paused for a moment as if saying it aloud made it set in. "They kill people."

"I guess the Frogg Brothers were right, huh?" Rosalie laughed dryly, then stood. "It's difficult at first, but it slowly gets better with time. When David first told me I didn't talk to them for a few days, and that's okay. Don't let them tell you otherwise."

"I really like Marko, though. He should've told me sooner," Cindy said, and shook her head again with tears in her eyes.

"Cindy, he . . . he couldn't. It's not something you just parade around saying."

"You're right." Cindy sighed, then stood up. "We have school next week. I can't believe the summer's over."

Rosalie sighed deeply - she wasn't at all ready to go back to school, especially when she was so close to saving Laddie from Amy. Cindy had a sad look in her eyes as well.

"How long have you known?" Cindy asked curiously. "I know it's longer than I have."

"David told me a month or so ago. I suppose Marko didn't give you a demonstration like David?"

"If he did, I would've backhanded him immediately."

Rosalie smiled. "Atta girl."

"So, a month or so. What made you stay with them?" Cindy asked, and Rosalie peeked out the window at the lightening sky.

_Go to sleep._ Rosalie rolled her eyes.

_I know, Dwayne. I'm talking to Cindy._ She turned back to Cindy and leaned against the wall.

"David is a relative of mine." Cindy's eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. "Yeah, that's how I was, too. David told me the truth about Amy, which is why they turned on me, and he's been trying to get me to become a vampire like them."

". . . Are you going to do it?" Cindy asked, a worried tone to her voice.

"I don't know. For now, I'm more focused on Laddie." Cindy nodded. "It wasn't just David, though. I fell in love with Dwayne."

_And he imprinted on me_, Rosalie thought as well when Cindy smiled.

_Sadly. _

**_I thought you went to sleep?_**

_Still here. _

**_Oh. Wait . . . hey! That comment was fucking rude. _**

_Language. _

When Rosalie began to cuss in her head, she heard his faint chuckle and Cindy looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry, Cindy. Dwayne has a habit of reading minds, especially mine."

_Of course_. Cindy's eyes went wide.

"Is that why Marko always seems to know what I think?" she asked, and Rosalie nodded understandingly. "Well, tell him I said hi."

"I will."

Cindy's eyes went even more wide. "Nevermind. Seems he can talk to me, too."

Rosalie rolled her eyes with a small laugh, and then looked over Cindy.

"Maybe we should go to bed. I have to work in five hours."

"Oh, me too." Cindy rubbed her eyes and led the way up the stairs. "I put your things in the guest bedroom."

"Thank you very much," Rosalie responded, and headed in that direction. The room was neatly organized with wooden furniture, hanging photos, and a bed covered with a quilt in the middle of the room. It smelled like freshly cleaned linens and the smell brought Rosalie back to the days when she was a little girl and Miranda would tuck her into her sheets.

Instead of getting under the covers, Rosalie hopped on top of the quilt and stared at the ceiling for a few moments. She wondered where Miranda was - still in prison, obviously, but was she still alive? Had she gotten sick?

Rosalie hadn't heard a word from Miranda since the police had raided the apartment. The memory was still fresh in her mind, the day she came home from school.

Miranda had been sitting on the couch, reading a magazine when Rosalie walked in. Miranda asked about her day, if she had homework, the typical. Rosalie went to get her after school snack when there was a loud banging on the door and the police announced themselves. Miranda had run to the kitchen where Rosalie was with tears in her eyes, and she held Rosalie by her face.

"Rosalie, I want you to know that none of this is your fault, okay?" she'd said. "I love you so, so much. But I have to go now. I promise I'll be back and I'll see you again someday."

And then the police beat down the door and pulled Miranda from Rosalie. Rosalie screamed at them to let her go and made to latch onto her mother again, but she was held back. The last Rosalie had seen Miranda was when she was pulled out of the apartment, screaming how she loved Rosalie.

Tears pricked Rosalie's eyes and she knew Amy was behind it. There was a feeling she had, that Amy had known all along exactly where Rosalie had been. More anger coursed through her veins and she wiped her eyes with the back of her hands before drifting off into an uneasy sleep.


End file.
